Final answer:
The true cause of Moctezuma's death is uncertain; he died in Spanish custody, but historical accounts differ on whether he was killed by the Spanish or the Aztecs, with no definitive conclusion.
Step-by-step explanation:
As far as the death of Moctezuma is concerned, historical accounts differ on the exact cause of his death. Moctezuma II, emperor of the Aztec Empire, died in Spanish custody after Hernán Cortés took him prisoner. One account, depicted in a seventeenth-century engraving by Jan Karel Donatus van Beecq, shows Moctezuma imprisoned by Cortés.
This illustrates the uncertainty surrounding his death, as it is unknown whether it was the Spanish or the Aztecs who killed him, with different sources providing conflicting reports. Some historical narratives indicate that Cortés executed Moctezuma after the defeat of the Aztecs, while others suggest that Moctezuma may have been killed by his own people or died under the custody of the Spanish during the conflict.
As no definitive account confirms how Moctezuma met his end, the true cause of his death remains a topic of historical debate.