Cortés Enters Tenochtitlán — Moctezuma II Welcomes Him

Hernán Cortés crossed the causeway into Tenochtitlán on November 8, 1519, greeted by Moctezuma II in a famous meeting at the causeway entrance. Whether Moctezuma truly submitted or was playing a diplomatic game remains debated. Within weeks Cortés had Moctezuma under effective house arrest. Contemporary observers from both sides left conflicting accounts; the 'submission' narrative was largely constructed post-conquest to justify Spanish legitimacy.