Season 1, Episode 6

Moctezuma's feather crown

Air Date: 2023-06-02

Overview: In 1519, an army of Spanish conquistadors led by Hermán Cortés reached the shores of Mexico. Cortés was warmly welcomed by the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II, who gave him a crown of feathers as a gift. A historical event that ultimately resulted in the bloody colonization of the South American continent. Five hundred years later, the object can be viewed in the Museum of Ethnology in Vienna. Erik Dijkstra investigates how it got there. What do the presidents of Austria and Vienna think about this issue? How do researchers view the possible transport of the fragile and valuable feather crown?

Runtime: 45 minutes