Final answer:
Moctezuma mistaking Cortes for Quetzalcoatl shows that Aztec religious beliefs and prophecy played a role in their interpretation of the Spanish arrival and Moctezuma's response to it.
Step-by-step explanation:
The fact that Moctezuma mistook Cortes for Quetzalcoatl implies a connection between Aztec religious beliefs and their interpretation of the arrival of the Spaniards. Aztecs had a prophecy related to Quetzalcoatl, a feathered serpent deity who was expected to return at some point. They associated the appearance of Hernán Cortés and his fellow Spaniards with the return of this deity, potentially due to their white skin and unfamiliar technology, such as horses, which they had never seen before.
According to Bernal Díaz, the Mesoamerican natives initially perceived the Spaniards as gods, a belief that may have been reinforced by the appearance of Cortés and his response to Moctezuma's greetings, as well as the mysterious and calamitous omens that preceded the Spanish arrival.
The presence of such beliefs and omens likely shaped the interaction between Moctezuma and Cortés and played a role in the eventual conquest of the Aztec Empire by the Spaniards.