For centuries historians believed that Moctezuma II, the last ruler of the Aztec empire, had ceded his empire to the Spanish in 1520 without a fight.But new evidence presented by the British Museum will show the Spanish humiliated him before his people and that power was forcibly taken from him.Moctezuma ruled the Aztecs in what is now Mexico during the Spanish invasion and takeover.
The theory that he was forced to give up his rule forms part of the museum's exhibition, which opens in September.Two portraits from the 1560s will show the ruler hand-cuffed and bound in chains standing before his people.British Museum curator Colin McEwan told The Telegraph that it was likely his portrayal as a willing agent of the Spanish was a myth perpetuated by them.
He said: 'What is so interesting is that this is an empire that is at the top of its form when it falls. The way it was constructed made it vulnerable because it made it easy for the Spanish to recruit disaffected allies.'
Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler is the fourth in the museum's series on great rulers.
It aims to highlight Moctezuma's twin identity: a clever and successful warrior and a tragic figure who ceded his empire to invaders.
The museum has drawn on collections in Mexico, Europe and the U.S as well as its own store of Aztec artefacts to tell Moctezuma's story through sculpture, gold and mosaic items and European paintings.
Moctezuma, who reigned from 1502-1520, was regarded by his subjects as semi-divine. (Source: Daily Mail)
