Aztec folklore and prophecy told of the god Quetzalcoatl, who had sailed away to the east and promised to return in the year Ce Acatl (One Reed). When Hernán Cortés and his Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico in 1519, which was a Ce Acatl year, Emperor Moctezuma II reportedly believed Cortés might be the returning god. This belief caused hesitation and indecision among the Aztec leadership, contributing to the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlan.

The story of Moctezuma's belief in Cortés as Quetzalcoatl has become one of the most powerful and enduring myths of the Spanish conquest, featured in countless historical accounts, poems, and novels. It has been explored by writers from Bernal Díaz del Castillo to Octavio Paz, serving as a symbol of cultural misunderstanding and the impact of prophecy on historical events.