For many years, scholars have pondered why a battle-hardened warrior and capable leader like Montezuma II allowed Cortés and his small army to walk peacefully into the Aztec capital city instead of killing the intruders as soon as they landed on the coast. A reason often cited for Montezuma's hesitation is that he thought Cortés might be Quetzalcoatl, a powerful god revered not only by the Aztecs, but by many other Mesoamerican peoples as well.

According to legends passed down for centuries, Quetzalcoatl (also known as the feathered serpent) was a benevolent god who created the people of the fifth Aztec world. By contrast, his brother, Tezcatlipoca, was a fearsome and evil god who brought war and sorrow to the people. A great struggle arose between the brothers in which Quetzalcoatl was humiliated and defeated. Quetzalcoatl fled to the east coast of Mexico where...