Sacrificial Altar (Civ4)/Civilopedia

In Aztec culture, religion was inextricably woven into the fabric of daily life. The king was the leader of the nation; he also held high office in the religion. Aztec religious policies had the full force of law behind them. When a condemned criminal was executed, he was killed on the same sacrificial altars that the Aztecs used to sacrifice captured prisoners (and others) during religious rituals.
Despite their bloodthirsty - even savage - reputation, the Aztecs had quite a sophisticated judicial system to protect both person and property. Each major city or town had a supreme judge. Once appointed, the supreme judge was totally independent of the monarchy; he wielded ultimate judicial control over his jurisdiction. Beneath the supreme judge was a three-member court, and beneath them were a group of lesser magistrates who were elected to their office by the people of the city. There is little evidence of corruption in the Aztec courts: judicial misconduct was punishable by death.
Though the Aztecs could be considered barbaric by most modern standards, their justice system was fairly effective at deterring crime and keeping the peace. For example, there could not have been much theft in the cities: the Aztec residences were not equipped with locks or even bolts.