15. The Treachery That Won an Empire
Aztec ruler Montezuma II grew indecisive upon learning of the Spaniards’ landing. He invited Cortes and his conquistadors into Tenochtitlan in November, 1519, in the hopes of better understanding them and their weaknesses. He then foolishly plied his guests with lavish gifts of gold, which only excited their lust for plunder. Cortes treacherously seized Montezuma in his own palace, held him hostage, and ruled Tenochtitlan and the Aztec Empire through the captive emperor.
In April 1520, Cortes had to rush back to Mexico’s east coast in order to ward off another Spanish expedition sent to oust him. He left behind a Spanish garrison of 200 men under a trusted deputy. In Cortes absence, his deputy massacred thousands of Aztecs in Tenochtitlan’s Great Temple, triggering an uprising. Cortes sped back to Tenochtitlan and trotted out the captive Montezuma in hopes that he would placate the natives. Instead, the livid Aztecs stoned the Spaniards’ puppet ruler to death. Things were about to get even darker.