Deck 21: Mesoamerican Civilizations

Question 1

The Maya used ancient swidden farming methods to grow maize and beans, and these cleared gardens were called __________.

A) milpa
B) chinampas
C) quipas
D) manos

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Some estimates placed the Maya population at between __________ people in A. D. 800.

A) 200,000 and 300,000
B) 1 and 2 million
C) 3 and 5 million
D) 8 and 10 million

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The earliest farming villages in the Valley of Oaxaca were concentrated __________.

A) on the mountain tops
B) in the rain forests
C) in the valley floors
D) next to river deltas

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The people in the Valley of Mexico used a raised-field technique called the "floating garden" or __________.

A) milpa
B) chinampa
C) metate
D) quipa

Question 5

The economic system of the Valley of Mexico, enhanced by great agricultural productivity and a sophisticated market economy, helped to foster the __________.

A) taxation of the serfs
B) development of specialist crafts
C) increase in exploration of the rain forests
D) decoration of their gardens

Question 6

The Mesoamerican Pre-classic chiefdoms were often ruled by a chief and a(n) __________.

A) elite
B) warrior
C) priest
D) king

Question 7

The Olmec are associated with the __________.

A) Early Preclassic
B) Middle Preclassic
C) Late Preclassic
D) Classic

Question 8

The earliest traces of Olmec occupation are best documented at __________.

A) Teotihuacán
B) Monte Albán
C) San Lorenzo
D) La Venta

Question 9

In which of the following periods was a common religious system and ideology beginning to unify large areas of Mesoamerica?

A) Early Preclassic
B) Middle Preclassic
C) Late Preclassic
D) Classic

Question 10

The __________ found on pottery and other ritual objects in the highlands, had an important place in Olmec cosmology.

A) were-jaguar
B) seashell
C) obsidian
D) feathers

Question 11

The emergence of social ranking and status in the Valley of Oaxaca occurred during which phase?

A) Monte Albán phase
B) Middle Preclassic
C) San José phase
D) Late Preclassic

Question 12

Images of celestial ancestors on pottery are believed to represent the Earth and Sky, which could express anger in the form of __________.

A) floods and earthquakes
B) earthquakes and lightning
C) lightning and fires
D) floods and lightning

Question 13

Monte Albán, in the Valley of Oaxaca, became a dominant polity ruled by a(n) __________.

A) warrior caste
B) hereditary elite
C) priest nobles
D) elected king

Question 14

At Teotihuacán there are pyramids named after the __________.

A) sun and moon
B) earth and sky
C) earth and moon
D) sun and sky

Question 15

What was the key element in subsistence for Teotihuacán?

A) farming terraces
B) irrigation farming
C) milpas
D) farming villages surrounding the city

Question 16

For the Maya, __________ was a way of structuring the inheritance of property and resources from one generation to the next.

A) a land title
B) a fence
C) a strict kinship system
D) ancestor veneration

Question 17

Sacred space for the ancient Maya meant that __________.

A) ancestors and shrines were present in a structure
B) the land a structure was built on was blessed first
C) the architecture of the ritual structures replicated forests, mountains, and caves
D) only the priests could enter certain structures

Question 18

Religious events in Maya society were regulated according to a sacred year, or a __________.

A) tzolkin
B) haab
C) zotz
D) cim

Question 19

By examining the occurrence of __________ in ancient Maya polities, epigraphers can help determine which polities were capitals.

A) trading networks
B) pottery
C) emblem glyphs
D) codices

Question 20

__________ headed a multicenter polity that was strengthened by conquest, long-distance trade, and interpolity marriages.

A) Copán
B) Monte Albán
C) Caracol
D) Tikal

Question 21

More than 2,200 glyphs adorn the face of the Hieroglyphic Stairway located at __________.

A) Tikal
B) Copán
C) Caracol
D) Dos Pilas

Question 22

Which of the following civilizations was centered at Tula in the Valley of Mexico?

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

Question 23

Tribute was paid by conquered cities to the __________ elite.

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

Question 24

Aztec civilization had its capital at __________.

A) Teotihuacán
B) Monte Albán
C) Tenochtitlán
D) Copán

Question 25

Due to Spanish influences, Mesoamerica as a whole lost __________ percent of the indigenous population between A. D. 1520 and 1680.

A) 10 to 15
B) 35 to 45
C) 65 to 75
D) 85 to 95

Question 26

Describe the factors that allowed for the rise of complex society in Oaxaca.

Question 27

Describe the relationship between kingship, political organization, and religion in Maya civilization.

Question 28

What were some of the cultural advancements of the Olmec during the Preclassic?

Question 29

What happened during the 9^th century collapse of the Mayan civilization?