Ahuitzotl was the eighth Aztec ruler, the Huey Tlatoani of the city of Tenochtitlan, son of princess Atotoztli II. His name literally means "Water Thorny" and was also applied to the otter. It is also
Ahuitzotl depicted in the Codex Mendoza
Headdress traditionally attributed to Moctezuma II in the Museum of Ethnology, Vienna. The object, however, might not have belonged to Moctezuma and, contrary to popular belief, it was not used as his crown. It might have been a religious headdress to represent the god Quetzalcoatl during religious events, a battle standard, or a military device worn in the back.