Cuauht?oc was the last Aztec ruler of Tenochtitl? and the last "Aztec Emperor".
He took power in 1521; His reign was preceded by Cuitláuac and followed by the Spanish.
Cuauht?oc was a nephew of the emperor Moctezuma II, and his young wife was a daughter of Moctezuma. He took power as his city came under siege by the Spanish and was devastated by an epidemic of smallpox.
On August 13, 1521, he surrendered to Hern? Cort? in the Tlatelolco section of Tenochtitl?.
Cuauht?oc is considered to be the true hero of the fall of the Aztec nation; he was tortured to death with his feet put into a fire, but refused to divulge information about the treasures the Spanish coveted.