Cortés runs afoul of governor, Meshican forces

Conflict with Spaniards results in death of Moctezuma

By Miguel Encinias
For the Journal
Hernán Cortés and a small force of Spanish soldiers used the belief that he was a god by Moctezuma, the emperor of Tenochtitlán, to secure control of the Meshican capital city.
Meanwhile in Cuba, Gov. Velazquez, having found out about Cortés' great but unauthorized discovery, organized an expedition of about 1,500 men under Panfilo de Narvaez to capture the renegades.
Cortés, upon hearing of the landings, chose a unique way to fight.
Meshican anger over the desecration of an Aztec altar by the Spanish had subsided, and Moctezuma offered to help fight Narvaez's force.
But Cortés declined and said he would leave 80 men in the palace under the command of Pedro de Alvarado. The emperor agreed to take good care of them.
Cortés began his fight by weakening his opponents' forces using bribery.
First he bribed some envoys of Narvaez who had been captured at Vera Cruz. They in turn returned to their own forces and started bribing their fellow soldiers with gold ingots given to them by Cortés.
On May 29, Cortés launched a surprise attack and, though outnumbered, was able to score a victory and capture Narvaez, who lost an eye in the brief skirmish.
Stirring trouble
Meanwhile, back in Tenochtitlán, Alvarado, who was very quick-tempered and not very intelligent, became irritated at some dancing near the guest palace during a festival to the god Smoking Mirror.
He rushed out with some armed men and attacked the dancers, killing some of them. The huge crowd turned on the Spaniards, who were forced to flee into the Palace.
When Cortés returned, he found his soldiers under virtual siege. He criticised Alvarado, but did not punish him.
Instead, with his newfound power of 1,500 additional men taken from Narvaez, he became increasingly arrogant with Moctezuma. He did not fully realize, however, to what extent Moctezuma had lost influence.
The Meshican leaders had already decided to replace the emperor with his brother Cuitlahuac. He and young firebrand cousin Cuaunahuac already were planning an attack on the Spaniards.
Open conflict erupted when the Meshicans blocked one of the causeways.
The Spaniards were now under full siege. Moctezuma, who was still in the palace, was asked to intercede. He reluctantly agreed to speak to the crowd from a prominence in the palace.
The fighting stopped momentarily, but a Meshican named Cuauhtemoc shot an arrow at him. That provoked a shower of stones at the noble but credulous and tragic emperor. He was wounded in the head and other parts of his body.
Moctezuma refused medical treatment, and on the 25th of June, 1519, he died. The Spaniards wept, and Cortés promised to care for his three legitimate daughters.
Bernal Diaz de Castillo, the principal historian and eyewitness of this drama, called the Meshican ruler the "great Moctezuma," an honor he did not accord to Cortés or any other Spaniard who participated in this spectacle.