Cuitláhuac was a Mexica ruler who briefly led Tenochtitlan after Moctezuma II and before Cuauhtémoc. He is remembered for leading resistance against the Spanish during a critical moment of the conquest.

His rule was short because he died during the smallpox epidemic that devastated the Mexica population. Even so, Cuitláhuac matters for citizenship learners because he represents armed resistance to conquest and the severe impact of disease during the fall of the Mexica world.