As Emperor, Montezuma lived a life of pure luxury in a palace with beautifully decorated rooms, amazing gardens with scented plants and herbs, water gardens with waterfalls, fountains and outdoor baths, hundreds of wives and concubines, and hundreds of servants. His palace zoo was filled with animals from all over his kingdom, and his royal aviaries consisted of 10 rooms full of birds with 300 servants to care for them. Montezuma dressed in the finest clothes and jewels, wore a feathered headdress made from the feathers of quetzal birds, and sandals made of gold. He changed his clothes four times a day and never wore the same clothing twice. Rarely seen in public, he was always carried on a throne with a canopy made of precious feathers. No one was allowed to look at his face or touch him. If he decided to step down from the canopy, the ground was swept in front of him by the nobles and covered with cloths so his feet never touched the earth. At meals, no ordinary people were allowed to look at him. He was served over 100 dishes of food at each meal as well as the extremely valuable chocolate drink in cups made of pure gold – more than 50 cups of chocolate each day. While he ate, jugglers, musicians, and clowns entertained him. Top Image: Montezuma II