Moctezuma views a magic mirror that foretells that coming of the Spaniards. Was the emperor really ruled by superstition, or was he more practical? Picture from the Codex Florentino The basics Moctezuma II, the 9th emperor of the Aztecs, was known as Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin. Today his name has a lot of spellings, including Montezuma and Motecuhzoma.