Montezuma, the famous Aztec emperor, inherited the Aztec kingdom from his father, Axayacatl, in 1502 AD. Nobody knew it then, but Montezuma, also known as Moctezuma and “huey tlatoani” meaning “one who speaks on behalf of the people” or “Great Speaker” (Benson, Sonia G. Montezuma II) would lead him through a golden age during the 17 years preceding the end of the empire. One of the first things Montezuma did as emperor was create a bureaucracy. He created provinces, which are state-like territories, which paid for the capital, which was then Tenochtitlan. Another thing the Aztec provinces paid with was people. Montezuma believed in human sacrifice, a practice in which a human was killed as an offering to a god (or multiple gods, as the Aztecs were polytheists). Montezuma once sacrificed 12,000 enemy soldiers in a single ceremony! There are rumors that the Aztecs may have been cannibals. The Aztec people hated Montezuma for demanding human sacrifice, but the government managed to prevent a rebellion (History.com, History Channel). Despite the people's dismay at Montezuma's views on sacrifice, some important milestones were achieved during his reign. For example, they were one of the first civilizations to develop a written language. The one thing that could be considered one of the most important inventions of all time, still in use today, is the modern calendar. It's true, the Aztecs of the time of Montezuma created this system of days, months and even leap years which is in daily use today. We have calendars in our homes, in our school calendars and even on our phones. It is one of the most enduring inventions of all time. In addition, the Aztecs were dedicated to beauty, poetry and music, which are also an influence...... middle of paper...... graphic breadth and cultural height. Then, Hernan Cortés and the Spanish came from Europe to conquer the land. Afterwards, Montezuma and the Aztecs welcome the Spanish, but Montezuma is taken into prison. Finally, Montezuma is killed, cause of death unknown. Gale Group. “Biography in Context.” Gale Group. Cengage Learning, 1994. Web. March 4, 2014. .History of heritage. Home History Curriculum, nd Web. March 5, 2014. .History.com. History channel and Web. March 3. 2014. .