Fall of Tenochtitlan: of which the so-called Plume of Moctezuma was in fact

Being the Mexican tlatoani who received the Spaniards commanded by Hernán Cortés, Moctezuma Xocoyotzin He is an attractive character who arouses intrigue in more than one person. As the leader of the dominant civilization of Mesoamerica, she witnessed the splendor of hegemonic power that reigned at that time.

The theories of his death and the role he played in the Mexico-Tenochtitlan invasion have made him an important subject of study. Of the same shape, Myths and speculation have arisen around his appearance, lifestyle and personality.

One of the most controversial objects is the Ancient Mexican feather, also known as Penacho de Moctezuma. This article is in Austria, as some say it was a gift that the tlatoani gave to Hernán Cortés, who would later send it to Carlos I of Spain.

It was after the death of Fernando II, cousin of King Carlos I, that the pre-Hispanic article was found. However, at that time it was described as “a Moorish hat”. Thus, the plume remained an object of the house of the Habsburgs.

Between 1799 and 1802, the headdress changed location, due to the Napoleonic wars. Later, in 1806, it arrived in Vienna and became state property managed by the Natural History Museum, then part of the collection on display at the Vienna World Museum.

However, it has not been possible to verify that the plume belonged to Moctezuma II, and some even claim that the garment was the property of other types of inhabitants of the region. “The plume was certainly not that of Moctezuma. It was from a priest ”, Christian Schicklgruber, director of the Vienna Weltmuseum, assured the EFE agency.

The expert claims that, according to historical codices, “Moctezuma never wore a plume like this”. Thus, there is no historical evidence to support the alleged membership of this coin to the Mexican Emperor.

According to the doctor Carmen Aguilera, from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), the plume “represents a complete quetzal with outstretched wings; the body is the highest part of the feathers, in the center, with the tail upwards and the head – which had a golden beak which has disappeared – downwards ”.

Its appearance in the The central highlands date back to Toltec times, part of the dress of Quetzalcóatl, their protective god. Later, Mexicans adopted the quetzalapanecáyotl with all that iconic load.

However, there is another possibility: that the ruler of the Mexicans wore a turquoise triangular headband called xiuhuitzolli. According to the INAH specialist, this version cannot be ruled out, because its use is linked to “governing and rendering justice”.

On the other hand, when he is on the battlefield, the tlatoani wears plume of feathers. Axáyacat himself, father of Moctezuma II, is shown wearing the quetzalapanecáyotl while fighting and defeating the Tlaloltecas.

“The lords wear it when they are in combat, but they wear a triangular turquoise band or xiuhuitzolli, “pointed turquoise”, when they take the throne for rule and dispense justice. In a plaque, Axáyacatl himself, identified by his glyph, wears the quetzalapanecáyotl while fighting and defeating the Tlaloltecas, ”Aguilera said.

In fact, the gift that Moctezuma gave the Spaniards on their arrival consisted of four costumes of the gods: from Tezcatlipoca, from Tláloc and two from Quetzalcóatl, the latter for Cortés.

“They put the snake mask covered with turquoise mosaic, with which I was going the quetzalapanecáyotl; from there hang the green stone snake-shaped earmuffs ”.

Once again, passing the site to Tenochtitlan, they offered the panache, as the new owners of the Mexican Empire. However, the “conquerors” did not consider plumage or its symbolic implications to be important, because according to the Florentine Codex, “They tore off the feathers, separated the gold from the ornaments and then melted them”, concludes the researcher.

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