Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler

The final exhibition in the BM's series repositioning four great historical leaders in the context of their times looks at Moctezuma II (aka Montezuma), the last elected ruler of the Aztecs, who put up surprisingly little resistance when the Spanish arrived in 1519. A display case devoted to the apparatus of war offers one explanation: the Aztecs had only wooden swords with obsidian blades projecting from each side with which to defend themselves against Spaniards and horses protected by steel armour ñ who fought with cannons and muskets as well as steel swords. The exhibition's evidence for the contradictory theories about Moctezuma's death is intriguing but does not pretend to solve the mystery. Although there are many beautiful stone carvings and intricate mosaics made from shell and vivid turquoise, the show lack a wow-factor centrepiece and suffers from design and audiovisuals that do little to create a sense of atmosphere.