Italian Mexican Opera of Historic Encounter of Aztec Emperor and Spanish Conquistador Premieres at FIU

FIU's hosted an opera about the historic encounter between the second Aztec emperor Montezuma and the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. Christopher Ramirez/PantherNOW

Christopher Ramirez/Staff Writer

A historic encounter from 1519 between the second Aztec emperor Montezuma and the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés has been turned into an opera. 

Audiences were able to experience the Mexican Italian opera on Valentine’s Day at FIU’s Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center. 

Once the opera began, the audience was introduced to the future self of the main protagonist, Montezuma, and his reminder that the Aztec people were victims of genocide from the Spanish conquistadors. 

“I think the opera is very powerful in its portrayal of colonialism; it brings across the message very well,” said Aaron Lawrence, a third year student of Music Business. 

“Montezuma” was written by Antonio Vivaldi in 1733 to be performed in Italian but the setting takes place in Mexico. 

The performance included Baroque-era instruments that portrayed a flashback to how Vivaldi’s showings of the opera would’ve been.

“They seem to be period correct instruments. It almost feels like traveling back in time since the instruments are not used anymore,” says Heriberto Castro, a sophomore studying Music Education.

The opera was not traditionally performed due to the singers being accompanied by an orchestra conducted by Matthias Maute. The orchestra was in sync with the notes of the opera singers to create a musical and theatrical experience all at once. 

The performance also included an actor playing the future Montezuma as a third-person narrator.

The opera shows similarities to Romeo and Juliet or the Disney version of Pocahontas, as Montezuma’s daughter, Teutile, falls in love with Fernando’s son Ramiro.

Montezuma abandons his reign over his empire to avoid an oracle’s tragic prediction of sacrificing his daughter. 

Montezuma also lets her marry Ramiro.

The war against the Spaniards was an overwhelming one, even pressuring the Aztec emperor to try and brief his wife and daughter to commit suicide to escape a brutal death. 

The ending of the opera may have also been an inevitable one, as the overwhelming power could’ve abused their power to forcefully marry the two.

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