Forced from power: How the last Aztec ruler lost his empire to the Spanish conquistadors

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The ruler of the ancient Aztecs was murdered by Spanish conquistadors and did not surrender his kingdom to the invaders, according to a new exhibition.

For centuries historians believed that Moctezuma II, the last ruler of the Aztec empire, had ceded his empire to the Spanish in 1520 without a fight.

But new evidence presented by the British Museum will show the Spanish humiliated him before his people and that power was forcibly taken from him.

A rare turquoise Aztec mosaic mask is displayed at The British Museum

Moctezuma ruled the Aztecs in what is now Mexico during the Spanish invasion and takeover.

The theory that he was forced to give up his rule forms part of  the museum's exhibition, which opens in September.

The museum's exhibition will show Emperor Moctezuma was forced from power

Two portraits from the 1560s will show the ruler hand-cuffed and bound in chains standing before his people.

British Museum curator Colin McEwan told The Telegraph that  it was likely his portrayal as a willing agent of the Spanish was a myth perpetuated by them.

He said: 'What is so interesting is that this is an empire that is at the top of its form when it falls.

'The way it was constructed made it vulnerable because it made it easy for the Spanish to recruit disaffected allies.'

Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler is the fourth in the museum's series on great rulers.

It aims to highlight Moctezuma's twin identity: a clever and successful warrior and a tragic figure who ceded his empire to invaders.

The museum has drawn on collections in Mexico, Europe and the U.S as well as its own store of Aztec artefacts to tell Moctezuma's story through sculpture, gold and mosaic items and European paintings.

Moctezuma, who reigned from 1502-1520, was regarded by his subjects as semi-divine.

The exhibition will feature some of the masterpieces of Aztec culture, including the stone monument known as the Teocalli of Sacred Warfare, as well as other works commissioned by the emperor himself.

A turquoise mask and goldwork will showcase the exquisite handiwork of Aztec craftsmen.

British Museum director Neil MacGregor said: 'The artistic achievements of the Aztecs astonished the Spanish and rest of the world, and have continued to wield a huge influence on Mexican art.

'Moctezuma is the last in our series on great rulers and their legacies and presents perhaps one of the most fascinating examples of implosion of power and the clash of civilisations.'

The exhibition runs from September 24 until January 24, and partly coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution and the 200th anniversary of the country's independence.