Cuauhtémoc was the last Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlán and the last "Aztec Emperor".
He took power in 1521; His reign was preceded by Cuitláuac and followed by the Spanish.
Cuauhtémoc was a nephew of the emperor Moctezuma II, and his young wife was a daughter of Moctezuma. He took power as his city came under siege by the Spanish and was devastated by an epidemic of smallpox.
On August 13, 1521, he surrendered to Hernán Cortés in the Tlatelolco section of Tenochtitlán.
Cuauhtémoc is considered to be the true hero of the fall of the Aztec nation; he was tortured to death with his feet put into a fire, but refused to divulge information about the treasures the Spanish coveted.
