Deck 15: Mesoamerican Civilizations

Question 1

The roots of which civilization went back at least 1,500 years before Spanish conquest?

A)Maya
B)Aztec
C)Yanomamo
D)Inca

Answer 1

Aztec

Question 2

Which civilization filled the vacuum left by the collapse of the Toltecs?

A)Aztec
B)Olmec
C)Maya
D)Inca

Answer 2

Aztec

Question 3

The Aztec capitol was

A)Teotihuacán.
B)Tenochtitlán.
C)Tehuacán.
D)Tula.

Answer 3

Tenochtitlán.

Question 4

Hernan Cortés landed in Vera Cruz in 1519, or the Aztec year

A)3 Reed.
B)2 Reed.
C)1 Reed.
D)0 Reed.

Question 5

The four quarters of Tenochtitlán were organized into neighborhoods based on

A)a kin-based group of families that claimed descent from the male line of a common ancestor.
B)the four seasons, with wealthier citizens living in the quarter that represented the autumn, or harvest, season.
C)the Aztec conception of heaven and Earth, with the most revered members living closest to "heaven."
D)the cardinal directions.

Question 6

Teotihuacán's prosperity came from trade, especially of

A)bird feathers.
B)fish spines.
C)gold.
D)green obsidian.

Question 7

Which of the following is a postclassic Maya center in the northern Yucatán?

A)Chichén Itzá
B)Monte Albán
C)Teotihuacán
D)Tula

Question 8

Describe the environment and society that we call the Olmec. What is it that makes it special in the eyes of archaeologists?

Question 9

Compare and contrast the rise and fall of the Aztec Empire with that of the Roman Empire. Discuss why many would argue their demise was inevitable.

Question 10

Discuss the ninth-century collapse of the Maya culture. What ecological factors were at play? How do we know?

Question 11

Explain the evolution of Oaxacan trade from 1500 to 200 B.C. What Oaxacan goods at this time were especially important in Olmec ideology?

Question 12

According to legend, Toltec ruler Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl rose to heaven and turned into

A)the sun.
B)the moon.
C)the Morning Star.
D)a comet.

Question 13

The Toltec ruler Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl moved the capital to Tollan, or "The Place of

A)Fire.""
B)Gold.""
C)Gods.""
D)Reeds.""

Question 14

Which city was competing with Cuicuilco for leadership over the Valley of Mexico until Cuicuilco was completely destroyed by an erupting volcano?

A)Teotihuacán
B)Copan
C)Monte Alban
D)Oaxada

Question 15

The inland basin of which area was the center of political and economic life in highland Mesoamerica?

A)the Yucatán
B)Veracruz
C)Valley of Oaxaca
D)Valley of Mexico

Question 16

The Maya lowlands are located at

A)the Yucatán.
B)Veracruz.
C)Valley of Oaxaca.
D)Valley of Mexico.

Question 17

One of the most spectacular Olmec sites, built on an island in the middle of a swamp, featuring long, low mounds surrounding a rectangular plaza and destroyed around 400 B.C. is

A)Chichén Itzá.
B)Tula.
C)La Venta.
D)Copán.

Question 18

Nakbe's temple facades reflect the emerging notion of ch'ul ahau, or

A)ritual cannibalism.
B)immortality.
C)divine kingship.
D)human sacrifice.

Question 19

The central institution of lowland Maya civilization was

A)shamans.
B)gods.
C)kingship.
D)demons.

Question 20

The earliest recorded Mayan monarch, which we know from Tikal's inscriptions, was

A)Great Jaguar Paw.
B)Yax-Ch'aktel-Xok.
C)Yax-Moch-Xoc.
D)Chan-Bahlum.

Question 21

The "Hieroglyphic Staircase" is situated in

A)Palenque.
B)Copán.
C)Chichén Itzá.
D)Tikal.

Question 22

Which Mayan ruler built the Temple of the Inscriptions?

A)Pacal the Great
B)Great Jaguar Paw
C)Lord Water
D)Jaguar-Quetzal

Question 23

Which of the following was a rival of Calakmul and a major Maya center of stone trade in the seventh century A.D.?

A)Caracol, Belize
B)Tikal, Guatemala
C)El Mirador, Guatemala
D)Cuello, Belize

Question 24

Much Olmec pottery contains images of the

A)human-quetzal.
B)human-butterfly.
C)human-snake.
D)human-jaguar.

Question 25

Imagine you are living in Teotihuacán around A.D. 500. What kind of architecture surrounds you? What sort of home do you live in? What is your profession? Are you proud to live in this city-and why?