Prince Moctezuma Arriving to Rescue the Besieged Merchants at Ayotlan

What it is

This painted illustration comes from the Florentine Codex, a manuscript compiled by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún in the sixteenth century, with artwork by an unnamed Indigenous artist. It appears in book nine, folio six, and shows the young Moctezuma coming to rescue merchants besieged during a military campaign under the ruler Ahuizotl.

Why it matters

The scene documents Moctezuma's military career before he became tlatoani, showing how future rulers gained status through warfare. It also reveals how Sahagún and his Indigenous collaborators recorded Aztec history for a Spanish colonial audience, blending their own artistic traditions with new purposes.

Look closer

• What does the clothing and posture of the figures tell you about rank and roles?
• Why might this episode from Moctezuma's youth have been included in a history written after the conquest?
• Whose perspective might be missing from this image?