A plan of Tenochtitlan which has been attributed to Cortes himself.
(Plan of Tenochtitlan, American Museum of Natural History)
Cortes and his men entered the city of Tenochtitlan, or Mexico, over a large causeway built across the lake. The men were filled with awe at the sheer size of the causeway and at the size of the city. Aguilar commented on the houses, saying that there were over 100,000, each built over the water on wooden piles (de Fuentes, 1963). On the way to the palace of Moctezuma, there were people crowding along the streets, so many that it made it difficult for the Conquistadors to move. Soon Moctezuma appeared with his princes. Cortes dismounted from his horse and approached Moctezuma. Cortes tried to embrace Moctezuma but was stopped by the princes, as it was a sin to touch the King (Diaz, 1956). Undeterred, Cortes gave Moctezuma a necklace made of diamonds, pearls, and glass beads. Not to be out done, Moctezuma gave Cortes two necklaces with gold shrimp on them.
After these general niceties were finished, Moctezuma invited them to his palace for a feast. Some of Cortes' men climbed onto a high roof and looked out over the city. They told Cortes just how easily it would be to get trapped in by the Mexicans, who they still had nervous feelings about. They urged Cortes to force Moctezuma to live in the same quarters as the Spaniards so that they would have some sort of leverage if things were to go badly. Cortes, not wanting to insult his host, refused (de Fuentes, 1963). As it would turn out, Cortes would not have a choice in the matter.
Some time after they arrived, news came that war had been made at Veracruz, where Cortes had posted some men, and that it was made by Moctezuma's men (Gomara, 1964). When Cortes confronted Moctezuma about this he denied it. Nevertheless, Cortes was forced to ask Moctezuma to come stay in the Spanish quarters as a prisoner. Moctezuma straight up refused to do this, but Cortes eventually talked him into it by promising him every luxury he had in his palace. The only difference would be that he would be living in a different building (Diaz, 1956). It was in this way that Hernan Cortes captured and held the most powerful man in all of Mesoamerica, with only about 150 men (Gomara, 1964).
During his captivity, which can hardly be called that, Moctezuma would visit his temple quite often. On one of his visits he invited Cortes and a few of his men to come see it. Upon entering, Cortes cast down and broke the idols right in front of Moctezuma and his priests (Gomara, 1964). It seems that the only thing that kept Moctezuma from ordering his men to kill Cortes and his men was because he still believed that they could be gods, although, he was beginning to have his doubts. After this Cortes tried to explain Christianity to Moctezuma. Moctezuma said that he understood the concept of the three gods and what not, but that he did not want to speak of it any more because he could not give up his ancient religion in which the gods were so good to him (Diaz, 1956).