11th and last Aztec emperor, nephew and son-in-law of Montezuma II.

Cuauhtémoc became emperor in 1520 on the death of Montezuma's successor, Cuitláhuac. Hernán Cortés (Cortés, Hernán, marqués del Valle de Oaxaca), with powerful Indian allies, was then marching on Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital. Cuauhtémoc's frontier forces were forced to retreat in 1521, and he defended his capital in a four-month siege that left most of the city destroyed and few Indians surviving. Captured by the Spanish, he was at first treated with deference. Later, Cuauhtémoc was tortured to reveal the location of hidden Aztec wealth. His stoicism and refusal to speak became legendary. Fearing trouble if he left Cuauhtémoc behind, Cortés took the emperor with him to Honduras. En route, hearing of a plot against the Spaniards, he ordered Cuauhtémoc hanged.

In 1949 bones purported to be Cuauhtémoc's were discovered at Ixcateopan, Mex.