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David Carrasco confronts fiercely provocative questions about violence and civilization. He chronicles the fascinating story of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, investigating Aztec religious practices and demonstrating that ritual violence was integral to urbanization: the city itself was a temple to the gods. If violence against humans was a profound necessity for the Aztecs in their capital city, is it central to the construction of social order and the authority of city-states? Is civilization built on violence?Majestic in scope, City of Sacrifice illuminates not only the rich history of a major Mesoamerican city but also the inseparability of two passionate human impulses -- urbanization and religious engagement. It has much to tell us about many familiar events in our own time, from suicide bombings in Tel Aviv to violence in the Balkans.