Why did Cortes take Montezuma hostage?
Answers
When Hernan Cortes arrived in Tenochtitlan on November 8, 1519, he and his forces were treated as welcomed visitors by the Aztecs. But a few short days later on November 14, 1519, Cortes took Montezuma hostage. There were two principle reasons for this sudden deterioration in Spanish-Aztec relations. First, Cortes and his men feared for their lives in the Aztec capital, being severely outnumbered and far from the Gulf of Mexico. By taking Montezuma hostage, Cortes hoped to keep the people of Tenochtitlan in line with a puppet-ruler. Second, and arguably more serious for Cortes, Spanish ships had arrived off the Mexican coast from the Caribbean with a mission to find Cortes and take away his authority. Taking Montezuma hostage would shore up his authority in Tenochtitlan and project a good image to the Spanish crown that he was in control and did not deserve to have his authority taken away.