As a Mexican-American and history buff, I’ve always been incredibly fascinated by the Aztec Empire. Learning about this beautiful community of strong, intelligent, beautiful natives to the land that is now Mexico not only made me feel connected to my ancestry but also made me proud to know that I come from such an amazing group of people. Of course, this also means that I’ve learned much about the demise of the Aztecs as well; the genocide of them at the hands of the Spanish Empire.
After the Spaniards took over Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire and present day Mexico City, they ransacked the place for jewels, gold, precious stones and metals, and basically anything they could get their hands on. One of these artifacts was the headdress of Moctezuma II, one of the last Aztec emperors. If you have never heard about this headdress, think of it as essentially a crown. These headdresses weren’t worn by any average Aztec but were special accessories given to rulers, warriors, priests, and the gods and goddesses the Aztecs believe in. These headdresses were elaborate, large, and beautiful, like a peacock’s feathers. This was because the Aztecs believed that how well someone looked showcased their elite status, a dress to impress ideology.
Moctezuma II was the emperor when Hernan Cortes first made his way to Tenochtitlan. If you’ve ever been told that the Aztecs believed the conquistadors were gods, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you were lied to. Moctezuma invited Cortes and his men into Tenochtitlan and the palace because he knew that they had already made allies with neighboring tribes that despised the Aztecs’ rule. Moctezuma wanted to entrap Cortes but unfortunately the Spaniard figured it out and took Moctezuma as his prisoner instead. What follows is still unknown due to two different accounts; the Spanish say that Moctezuma was murdered by his own people, beaten with stones and shot at with arrows, while the Aztecs say that their emperor was killed by Cortes in cold blood. I believe the latter.
After the death of Moctezuma II, his brother Cuitláhuac became emperor. He died after contracting smallpox, a disease brought to the empire via the Spanish. Then Cuauhtémoc, the nephew and son-in-law of Moctezuma II, became emperor only to die weeks later at the hand of Cortes, who ordered that he’d be hanged after the Spanish overtook Tenochtitlan. This is most likely around the time that Cortes had taken possession of the quetzal feather headdress, most likely claiming it as his own and keeping it in his possession until it was sent to Europe alongside other Aztec artifacts that they had sent.
The very first time that the headdress was mentioned in Europe was in an inventory of collections at Ambras Castle in 1596, 76 years after Moctezuma II’s death. This was also when it is believed that the headdress was now in the possession of Austrian Archduke Ferdinand II von Tyrol, who believed it to be a “moorish hat”. The headdress was then sent to Vienna in the early 19th century, where it was put on exhibit at the Lower Belvedere Palace. Then in 1880, when the new Natural History Museum was opened, it was sent there to be on exhibit. Then it made one last venture to a ethnological museum that was opened in 1928, which is now known as the Weltmuseum Wien. This is where the headdress still remains, a museum in Vienna, Austria. 10,145 km away from its home.
As I’m sure you’ve guessed, this has caused a bit of dispute, the Mexicans wanting it back and Austria refusing to return it. In 1991, Mexico formally requested the return of the headdress but was denied after a study, commissioned by the Austrian government, deemed it impossible to transport it. They said that a special plane and a special case would be needed in order to protect the headdress from the vibrations it would experience on a plane. Then in 2020, Mexico’s president at the time, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, sent his wife, decorated writer Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller to Europe to try and convince museum owners to return pre-Columbian artifacts to Mexico for a national exhibition. Müller was met with little satisfaction, especially concerning the headdress, which was still declared “too fragile to travel”. This of course seems to be more important to European museum professionals and conservators than returning the artifact to its rightful owner, but alas, in 2024 the headdress remains in Vienna. For now, the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City is only able to put a replica on exhibit as they and the rest of the world await the real headdress’ return home.
Now, I am well aware that I am biased, but I can’t help but feel like the excuse that something is too fragile to return or that it is being taken care of better somewhere else is an excuse that is used far too often. We have seen it with Caryatids, ancient Greek sculptures that have been separated. Five in Athens, one in London. The British Museum has made the same claim that Vienna has, saying that if they were to give the statue back, it is at risk of breaking and that they take better care of it than Greece could. When in fact, Athens has made endless efforts to ensure that the New Acropolis Museum could take well care of all six sisters. To me, it makes no sense for a country to hold onto artifacts that have no importance there. And the only possible reason to keep them there instead of sending them home is to showcase the superiority they continue to believe they have.
I hope to one day be able to see Moctezuma II’s headdress returned to its home in Mexico City. I hope that one day Mexicans won’t have to travel halfway across the world to see a vital artifact of their country’s history. Moctezuma II didn’t die so that his headdress could sit in a European museum, he died protecting his people and protecting his land. Mexico deserves that headdress, and the people of Mexico deserve to be respected enough for European governments to apologize and return what isn’t theirs.