Cuauhtémoc

Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec ruler, was captured when Tenochtitlán fell to the Spanish in 1521. The conquistadors tortured him by burning his feet to make him reveal the secret of Moctezuma, the hiding place of the gold the Spanish believed the Mexica had concealed; according to tradition he endured the torment stoically.

Do not confuse Cuauhtémoc with Moctezuma II, who ruled when Cortés arrived, or with Cuitláhuac, who ruled briefly between them. Cuauhtémoc was executed on Cortés’s orders in 1525.