(Picture of rainforests and coast of Mexico) The coast of Mexico being a tropical
forest, the inlands rise through lush growth to the tablelands yielding to mountains
higher than any in Europe. (Picture of West Indies with Spanish fighting) As
Spaniards ground the West Indies with their cruel avarice, they were unaware that a
young boy living 7,000 feet above these islands in the (valley of Mexico with
volcano) valley of Mexico was growing to be an Aztec King. Under the close tutelage
of his superiors, surrounded by high mountains, and guarded by a great volcano,
this sacred landscape would mold him into emperor.
Montezuma’s home city provided the perfect setting for an aspiring king. Deemed by
the Spanish “The Venice of the New World”, (picture of Tenochtitlan) Tenochtitlan
rested on an island in the middle of the large salt lake Tezcuco. Furnished with stone
causeways, draw bridges, conservatories, and much more, (detail of splendor)
Tenochtitlan’s splendor greatly challenged any European claim to engineering or
cultural superiority.
Born in 1479 in the palace of his father, Axayacatl, (Axayacatl) Montezuma was one
among many of the king’s sons. Disciplined, (codex picture of child discipline) as
they all were, in the Aztec way, there was no reason for the natural eye to
distinguish Montezuma among the rest. But Montezuma was destined take on the
nature of the gods (image of one of Aztec god) he worshipped. Would the seeds of
destruction be sewn in the soil of devotion? Fertilizing the future undermining of
the Aztec empire?
At five years of age, Montezuma lived within “the walls of the serpent”, (serpent
temple picture) a temple where he would begin to learn the sacred hieroglyphic
writing, poetry, and astronomy. He maintained the temple by sweeping the steps,
the summit, and keeping the sacrificial fires burning. Inside “the walls of the
serpent”, the impressionable Montezuma became transformed by the dark
superstitions that dictated all aspects of Aztec life including their ominous fate.
(picture of Huitzilopotchli) Huitzilopotchli was a fierce and blood-thirsty god.
Even cutting himself to please Huitzilopotchli with his own blood, Montezuma
learned the art of blood offering. (photo of Aztec sacrifice) Warfare became the
means to acquire sacrificial victims for Huitzilopochtli. Thus to be a good priest
came hand and hand with being a good warrior. (codex picture of trained
warriors)As Montezuma followed the prescription for becoming an Aztec king,
would his efforts secure the future of the Aztec Empire?
MOCTEZUMA’S EDUCATION
Moctezuma’s training as a member of the
high nobility was strict from the start. He attended a Calmecac, a
religious school for those of noble descent or high achieving common
children. There, he learnt to steel himself against cold, pain and selfsacrifice. His routine at the Calmecac involved waking up before dawn
and performing rituals for the gods such as sweeping, bathing in cold
water, letting blood from his ears and legs and tending to gods’
shrines.
Moctezuma’s intellect and hard work were instrumental in his
development as a priest and later on in life he would gain the privilege
of performing sacrificial rites. A youth, he would train alongside
commoners and learn to become a warrior. As a young noble, he was
unaccustomed to receiving special attention.
As a young man, Moctezuma won a competition by being the first to
climb up a tall pole and grab the effigy of the fire deity, Xiuhtecuhtli,
during the harvest festivity of Xócotl Uetzi,”Great Fall of the Xócotl
Fruit”. This earned him the honour of becoming one of the four priests
that held down a sacrificial victim, live image of Xiuhtecuhtli, whose
heart was extracted. The venture up the pole was not only a
development for his religious career; Moctezuma showed his skill as an
athlete, by reaching the top before any of his competitors, noble or
common.
Illustration by Miguel Covarrubias of the Xócotl
Uetzi pole-climbing competition (Click on
image to enlarge)
Upon the death of the last ruling uncle in 1502, the nobles went out in search of the
destined youth. They found Montezuma humbly sweeping the temple steps in
service to his gods. (temple again) Montezuma’s apparent modesty had won their
favor and instantly the noble Tezcuce, Nezahualpilli (picture of King
Nezahualpilli) made the customary coronation speech. (coronation stone)
“ The Mexican Empire is at the height of its power. Rejoice, o happy land that you are
destined to have a prince prove to be a father and a brother to his subjects. A king who
will not seize the occasion of his exaltation to give himself up to luxury, but rather to
attend to all your interests”(coronation stone)
His subjects were filled with the hopes of a benevolent leader. (picture of subjects
in Tenochtitlan before leader) He began his reign by retiring to the temple to
begin a four day fast. His fast broken, he was conducted with rejoicing to the palace
for the coronation ceremony. Predictably, Montezuma came forth obsessed with
Huitzilopotchli believing that his devotion to this blood-thirsty god would benefit
the destiny of his empire. Subsequently, Montezuma set out for war (codex picture
of warriors, prisoners of war) with the purpose of acquiring prisoners: sacrificial
victims to appease Huitzilopotchli.
(picture of Huitzilopotchli) Aztec subjects celebrated Montezuma’s coronation
magnificently. They crowned him with the gold and feathered diadem upon his
return from war and in anticipated the emperor’s humility and respect.
(Montezuma’s crown)
These Aztec subjects were sadly deceived in their assessment of Montezuma’s
display of humility. Montezuma fervently devoted himself to the gratification of the
blood-thirsty god of war, Huitzilopotchli. (codex sacrifice picture) Never before,
nor ever since, has a Mexican king lived so opulently and mercilessly.
Huitzilopotchli’s thirst for blood incarnated in Montezuma, the recently conquered
Aztec subjects of the remote provinces became his feeding grounds. To these
inhabitants, Montezuma was a hard and dreaded task-master. Montezuma had tilled
the fallow ground of his empire with oppression rather than mercy and would soon
suffer the fruit of it. Had Montezuma turned toward his subjects with mercy, the
Spanish might have encountered a stronger opposition when attempting to usurp
Montezuma’s throne. But instead, the Spanish found subjects who were crying out
for freedom; freedom from the oppression of their blood-thirsty king who was once
an Aztec boy. (meeting of Montezuma and Cortes)