What god did montezuma mistake Cortes for?

Montezuma II mistakenly believed that Hernán Cortés was the god Quetzalcoatl, a prominent deity in Aztec mythology associated with life, knowledge, and the wind. Quetzalcoatl was prophesied to return to the Aztec lands, and Montezuma's misinterpretation of Cortés's arrival as a fulfillment of this prophecy influenced his initial interactions with the Spanish conquistador. This misconception ultimately played a significant role in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.