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Glite Dictionary
Moctezuma II

Moctezuma II

9.5
The last Aztec emperor of Mexico who the Spanish overthrew and killed in 1520
  • proper noun
: Moctezuma II
  • Moctezuma II ruled the Aztec Empire during the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.

Examples

  • Moctezuma II was the last Aztec emperor, facing great challenges before his downfall in 1520.

  • The death of Moctezuma II marked a turning point in the history of Mexico.

  • Many historians debate whether Moctezuma II was a strong or weak leader in the face of conquest.

  • The reign of Moctezuma II marked the height of the Aztec Empire.

  • Did Moctezuma II really believe that Cortés was a god?

  • The culture of the Aztec Empire flourished under Moctezuma II, who ruled at the time of Spanish contact.

  • After Moctezuma II's death, the fate of the Aztec Empire changed dramatically.

Synonyms

Montezuma II
vsMoctezuma II
1 9.1

The last Aztec emperor who ruled when the Spanish arrived and was killed by Cortés

is the variant spelling of the same ruler used in different sources

Surface Forms

Moctezuma II main

Morphology

Moctezuma + II

This is a proper name: knowing 'II' only signals 'the second' and the lexical parts do not convey the historical facts (last Aztec emperor, overthrown by Cortés). The referential meaning of a personal name is not compositionally derivable from its constituents, so a B1 learner who only knows the parts would not infer the MWE's full meaning.

Etymology

The name Moctezuma II belongs to the last ruler of the Aztec Empire who met the Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés. He was captured and killed in 1520, so his name now refers to the 'last Aztec emperor of Mexico' at the time of the Spanish conquest.