The name Cuauhtemōc means "one who has descended like an eagle", and is commonly rendered in English as "Descending Eagle", as in the moment when an eagle folds its wings and plummets down to strike its prey; the name thus implies aggressiveness and determination.
Cuauhtémoc took power in 1520 as sucessor of Cuitláhuac and was a cousin of the late emperor Moctezuma II. (cuauhtli means eagle; temoc, declining, wich can also be interpreted as "setting sun".)
Uh...a descending eagle is the central figure in the Mexican coat of arms. All you have to do is look.
reallY? Descending? All I see is an Eagle on the ground fighting with a snake... must be my ol eyes...
Had to descend to get on the ground. Don't be too picky when ceremonial names are being chosen for ships. The fact that an eagle is the centerpiece of the Mexican coat of arms is significant to the choice of an eagle-related name. As though it had anything other than a national identity significance.
In my OP one can read that the Ship was named after the last Aztec Emperor, Cuauhtémoc. The coat of arms is not directly linked to him. But anyway, there is of course a difference between descending and descended. But all this comes from poor translation. My interpretation would be "The eagle of the setting sun" like I mentioned in my OP = (cuauhtli means eagle; temoc, declining, wich can also be interpreted as "setting sun".) This would make a lot of sense, as he was the last Emperor, and his "reign" ended with him.