The Aztec (Mexica) Empire flourished in Central Mexico for two centuries until it was destroyed by the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. The Aztec civilization became the highest stage in the development of the pre-Columbian cultures of America, combining primitiveness and sophistication, developed social organization and bloody human sacrifices. The study of the famous French anthropologist and politician Jacques Soustelle (1912–1990) depicts with unsurpassed completeness the life of different classes of Aztec society - work and rest, wars, holidays, magnificent religious ceremonies, the life of the capital city of Tenochtitlan, on the site of which modern Mexico City is located. This book is addressed not only to specialists, but also to everyone who is interested in the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica.