Was Moctezuma II wrong to let Cortés into Tenochtitlan, according to Si Sheppard?

Si Sheppard disagrees with the historians who blame Moctezuma II for inviting Cortés in. He thinks keeping Cortés as a guest in Tenochtitlan was better than leaving him loose among subject peoples. The real mistake, Sheppard says, was Moctezuma staying in an adjacent palace where he could be seized. Had he left on some pretext and ruled through subordinates, Cortés would have had few options.

• Moctezuma's brother Cuitláhuac warned that if he let Cortés into his house, Cortés would take the house away.
• Sheppard describes Moctezuma as an autocrat who seemed to break psychologically once captured, then learned Spanish, cards and chess.
• Moctezuma became the first Aztec ruler to be repudiated by his own people.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Dwarkesh Podcast (2026-10-01). Read the whole episode summary →

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