Moctezuma II
Ruler of the Aztec Empire at its height who received Cortés in 1519, was held hostage by the Spanish and died in the fighting that followed.
| Lived | c. 1466 – 1520 |
| Known as | Aztec emperor |
| Birthplace or main place | Mexico City |
| Places on the map | Mexico City |
Mexico CitySee the world of Moctezuma II in the interactive map
Who ruled these places in his lifetime
| Place | At birth (map of 1400) | At death (map of 1500) |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mixtec Empire | Aztec Empire |
From the border maps nearest to each date; borders are approximate.
Events in his lifetime
| Year | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1519 | Cortés enters Tenochtitlan | Mexico City |
Further reading
Contemporaries
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| c. 1443 – 1538 | Askia Muhammad | Emperor of Songhai |
| 1452 – 1519 | Leonardo da Vinci | Painter and inventor |
| c. 1469 – 1524 | Vasco da Gama | Navigator |
| 1469 – 1527 | Niccolò Machiavelli | Political thinker |
| 1471 – 1528 | Albrecht Dürer | Painter and printmaker |
| 1471 – 1529 | Krishnadevaraya | Emperor of Vijayanagara |
| 1473 – 1543 | Nicolaus Copernicus | Astronomer |
| 1475 – 1564 | Michelangelo | Sculptor, painter and architect |
| c. 1478 – 1541 | Francisco Pizarro | Spanish conquistador |
| 1451 – 1506 | Christopher Columbus | Navigator |
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.