In 1519, Cortés was victorious over the Aztecs. There is argument, however, suggesting that Cortés was not entirely responsible for defeating the Aztecs. It seems that the root cause of the Aztec defeat stemmed from an unexpected quarter. In keeping with Aztec and Toltec folklore, the defeat of Moctezuma, the Aztec leader, can be summed up as a struggle between emotion and reason. We do believe rather strongly, I am sure, that the Aztec emperor welcomed Cortés because, Moctezuma was of a mind that Cortés personified, Ce Acatl Topiltzin, returning in the guise of Quetzalcoatl as had been promised in Toltec and Aztec tradition, over five hundred years before.
The Spanish and the Aztec referred to the Aztec ruler as Moctezuma, which can be roughly translated as he who makes himself ruler by his rage, a misnomer if there ever was one. Although Moctezuma had been a great strategist on the battlefield, he was more scholar, theologian and diplomat than he was warrior. Incidentally, the term Montezuma should best be reserved, not for rage but for vindication, as in Montezuma's revenge. Moctezuma, on the other hand, is a Spanish translation of a Nahuatl word, the language of both the Toltec and the Aztec.
Moctezuma is best remembered for the profoundness of his faith, surpassing all understanding and found confounding to this day. The prophecy made by Ce Acatl Topiltzin, five hundred years before the appearance of Cortes seemed, at least in the eyes of Moctezuma, to have come true. Quetzalcoatl, god of the Toltec and later god of the Aztec people, would in good time, that is during the sacred years in the guise of a bearded, fair-skinned man would return to lead.
Be that as it may, Moctezuma was the token head of the city of Tenochititlan, which at the time rivaled Paris and Constantinople as central places of elegance and learning. It was said that when Cortes and his men peered over the lip of the crater that encompasses the present day urban environment of Mexico City, more than one soldier was of a mind that he was living in a dream. Be that as it may, numerous accounts tell us that Moctezuma was adamant that Hernán Cortés was the embodiment of the greatest ruler of the Toltecs, the god known as Quetzalcoatl.
Two additions to the equation need to be made before one can begin to fathom how Cortés could have conquered the site close by where the megalopolis of Mexico City is now situated. The first thing that needs to be learned about Moctezuma was that he did not fit into any known concept of a powerful ruler. That being said, Moctezuma's life was, it would seem, a mere preparation for the arrival of the return of Ce Actal Topiltzin, although there is scant historical evidence that this was indeed the case. Around 1,000 AD., Ce Acatl Topiltzin had been driven south out of Toltec territory but not before he had voiced a vow that some day, during one of his sacred years, he would return victorious to take his revenge. Talk about timing and pigmentation! Cortes was hung with horseshoes for he was bearded and blond. Blondes are said to have more fun but blond-haired men it seems can destroy empires almost without lifting a finger. If Cortes had been dark-haired, he would have likely have had a fight on his hands and could conceivably have disappeared from history.
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