Cuauhtemoc

Cuauhtémoc
11th Tlatoani of Tenochtitlan Ruler of the Aztec Triple Alliance
Bust of Cuauhtémoc in el Zócalo, Mexico City.
Reign	1520–1521
Predecessor	Cuitlahuac
Successor	Tlacotzin
Born	Circa 1497
Died	Circa 1525 (aged 27–28)
Father	Ahuitzotl
Mother	Tlilancapatl

Cuauhtémoc (Nahuatl pronunciation: [kʷaːʍˈtemoːk], Spanish pronunciation: [kwauˈtemok] also known as Cuauhtemotzin, Guatimozin or Guatemoc; c. 1495) was the Aztec ruler (tlatoani) of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521, making him the last Aztec Emperor. The name Cuāuhtemōc means "one who has descended like an eagle", and is commonly rendered in English as "Descending Eagle," as in the moment when an eagle folds its wings and plummets down to strike its prey. This is a name that implies aggressiveness and determination.

Cuauhtémoc took power in 1520 as successor of Cuitláhuac and was a cousin of the late emperor Moctezuma II. His young wife, who was later known as Isabel Moctezuma, was one of Moctezuma's daughters. He ascended to the throne when he was around 25 years old, while Tenochtitlan was being besieged by the Spanish and devastated by an epidemic of smallpox brought to the New World by the invaders. After the killings in the Great Temple, there were probably few Aztec captains available to take the position.

Cuauhtemoc's date of birth is unknown and he does not enter the historical record until he became emperor. He was the eldest legitimate son of emperor Ahuitzotl and may well have attended the last New Fire ceremony marking the beginning of a new 52-year cycle in the Aztec calendar. Like the rest of Cuauhtemoc's early biography, this is inferred from knowledge of his age, and the likely events and life path of someone of his rank. Following education in the calmecac, the school for elite boys, and then military service, he was named ruler of Tlatelolco, with the title cuauhtlatoani ("eagle ruler") in 1515. To have reached this position of rulership, Cuauhtemoc had to be a male of high birth, and a warrior who had captured enemies for sacrifice.