Today in History: Moctezuma Welcomes Hernan Cortez

On this day (November Eight) in 1519, Hernan Cortez was welcomed by the Aztec ruler, Moctezuma, into Tenochtitlan with a great celebration. The Spaniards remained as Moctezuma’s guests for several months but their presence was increasingly resented by the Aztecs. Things fell apart when the Spanish massacred the Aztec elites in their temple. The Spanish claimed that they were preventing human sacrifice. The Aztecs claimed that the Spanish just wanted to steal their gold. It seems probable that both things motivated the Spanish.