Why I spell it Moctezuma?
I have the National Geographic magazines, digital copies from the first days.
Very early one, NG had big debates on the spellings of places. Which spelling to use. At that time they said it was right to let the nation or place decide how its name should be spelled. That is the anglicized version of the name as they use it themselves.
My observation was NG didn't adhere very well to its own rules...
So, why do I spell it Moctezuma and not Montezuma or Motecuhzoma or any of the other ancient historical spellings?
Simply because the Moctezuma's spell it that way. In the 19th Century that is how they began to spell it. And all of the family in Mexico and Spain spell it that way today. My wife and her family included.
Academics in Mexico and Spain and the US also all spell it that way, as far as I can tell, based on the books and theses I have read.
Treasure hunters spell it Montezuma. Cortes himself spelled it that way.
If you want to use that, fine. I am only explaining my choice.
One thing I will add is that many of the alternative spellings came from a time when Spanish was written really strange. The same letters meant something different. LDS has online a training course in how to read ancient Spanish because the differences make it very hard to read.
I have the National Geographic magazines, digital copies from the first days.
Very early one, NG had big debates on the spellings of places. Which spelling to use. At that time they said it was right to let the nation or place decide how its name should be spelled. That is the anglicized version of the name as they use it themselves.
My observation was NG didn't adhere very well to its own rules...
So, why do I spell it Moctezuma and not Montezuma or Motecuhzoma or any of the other ancient historical spellings?
Simply because the Moctezuma's spell it that way. In the 19th Century that is how they began to spell it. And all of the family in Mexico and Spain spell it that way today. My wife and her family included.
Academics in Mexico and Spain and the US also all spell it that way, as far as I can tell, based on the books and theses I have read.
Treasure hunters spell it Montezuma. Cortes himself spelled it that way.
If you want to use that, fine. I am only explaining my choice.
One thing I will add is that many of the alternative spellings came from a time when Spanish was written really strange. The same letters meant something different. LDS has online a training course in how to read ancient Spanish because the differences make it very hard to read.
