In the 1996 Rage Against the Machine single People of the Sun, lyricist Zack De La Rocha rhymes "Tha fifth sun sets get back reclaim. Tha spirit of Cuahtemoc alive an untamed."[29]
Cuauhtémoc, in the name Guatemoc, is portrayed sympathetically in the adventure novel Montezuma's Daughter, by H. Rider Haggard. First appearing in Chapter XIV, he becomes friends with the protagonist after they save each other's lives. His coronation, torture, and death are described in the novel