Moctezuma's headdress

Moctezuma's headdress is a historical artifact that has been long disputed in terms of origin, patron, and function. The object's function was perhaps featherwork headdress or military device. In the Nahuatl languages, it is known as a quetzalāpanecayōtl (ketsalaːpaneˈkajoːtɬ). Tradition holds that it belonged to Moctezuma II, the Aztec emperor at the time of the Spanish conquest. The provenance of the headdresses remains uncertain, and even its identity as a headdress has been questioned. It is made of quetzal and other feathers with sewn-on gold detailing. The object has been in private Austrian collections since the end of the sixteenth century and is now in the Weltmuseum (World Museum) in Vienna, Austria and remains an issue of dispute between Austria and Mexico, as Mexico has asked for the return of the object.