A community house or “men’s house” was identified during the Initial Formative era at:
A. Paso de La Amada
B. Tehuacn
C. Cuicuilco
D. San Jos Mogote
A sought-after resource in the Mixtec region was an insect that:
A. was used to produce a dye
B. could be used in biological warfare
C. was frequently used for food
D. could cure a common ailment
MATCHING 1
1)Paleoindian
2)Archaic
3)Formative
4) Classic
5) Postclassic
6) Colonial
7) Republican
A. ad 300″900
B. Early 1800s”present
C. 8000 bc”2000 bc
D. 2000 bc”ad 300
E. ad 1521″early 1800s
F. Unknown”8000 bc
G. ad 900″1521
Archaeologists employ settlement models:
A. because data are lacking and the models fill in the gaps
B. to identify marketplaces
C. to understand dominant societal processes
D. to combine the divinatory almanac with archaeological data
El Castillo, Chichn Itz’s quintessential four-sided, four-staircased pyramid, is also
known as the:
A. Pyramid of the Magician
B. Temple Pyramid of Kukulkan
C. Temple of the Warriors
D. Great Pyramid
The Yucatn Peninsula:
A. has a low annual rainfall that is below 500 mm per year
B. exhibits variability in rainfall and vegetation
C. is completely covered by tropical rainforest
D. was unable to sustain agriculture during Classic Maya times
The Aztec city of Tenochtitlan-Tlatelolco was actually an island in the middle of:
A. Lake Ptzcuaro
B. Lake Texcoco
C. the Gulf of Mexico
D. Lake Petn Itz
Archaeologists have determined that El Tajn likely controlled much of the north-central
Gulf lowlands because:
A. Mayan glyphs record high numbers of transactions in this region
B. it was ideally located for growing commodities and had a large population
C. its ball courts were the largest in Mesoamerica
D. examples of its pottery have been recovered at sites all over Mesoamerica
MATCHING 1
1) Tikal
2) Monte Albn
3) Mojarra
4) Becn
5) Teotihuacan
A. Maya site with fortification ditch
B. Talud-tablero architecture
C. Earliest-known Maya Long Count date
D. Early Isthmian inscription
E. Site with place glyphs
The Paleoindian period of Mesoamerica:
A. began about 100,000 years ago
B. is a time period for which there is abundance evidence of occupation
C. is also known as the “Lithic Stage”
D. occurred immediately after the Archaic period
The practice of human sacrifice:
A. was observed only by the Aztecs in the Late Postclassic
B. required each Aztec citizen to produce a sacrificial victim
C. was performed by the Aztecs on only a very small scale
D. had a long history in Mesoamerica
The observatory or “Caracol” at Chichn Itz:
A. tracked lunar, solar, and planetary cycles
B. is so named because of its ability to magnify objects as small as snail shells
C. is the location of the city’s seafood market
D. was used to host feasts of a celestial magnitude
The world’s earliest civilization arose in:
A. Mesopotamia
B. Mesoamerica
C. North America
D. Egypt
During the Early Formative, in the Central Highlands of Puebla, Morelos, and the Basin
of Mexico:
A. populations abandoned the area for the Gulf Lowlands
B. the massive site of Teotihuacan was built
C. populations and settlements became larger
D. the Olmecs moved into these regions to set up colonies
The Tarascans who ruled over a large territory to the west of the center of the Aztec
empire:
A. were conquered by Motecuzma I in 1478 and became part of the Aztec empire
B. defeated Axaycatl in battle in 1478 and never became part of the Aztec empire
C. defeated Axaycatl but were subsequently conquered by Motecuzoma II and became
part of the Aztec empire
D. were defeated by Motecuzoma I but regained their independence when they defeated
Axayactl
The Florentine Codex tells us that the proper protocol for Aztec feasts required_______
to be served as soon as guests were seated.
A. tobacco
B. tamales
C. flowers
D. dog stew
The Spaniard Gonzalo Guerrero:
A. was captured and sacrificed by the Maya
B. became a Maya slave but was rescued by Corts seven years later
C. became a Maya war captain and fought the Spanish
D. survived a shipwreck, but then died of disease
During Monte Albn’s apogee, the overall population in the valley soared to:
A. 10,000
B. 50,000
C. 75,000
D. 100,000
By the end of the Early Classic, the two most powerful Maya centers were:
A. Calakmul and Copn
B. Palenque and Tikal
C. Copn and Palenque
D. Tikal and Calakmul
The Formative period of Mesoamerica is so named because:
A. pottery vessels were first formed during this time
B. humans first experimented with a form of agriculture
C. domestication of plants and animals occurred
D. the cultural institutions that characterized the remainder of Mesoamerican prehistory
were developed
The Olmecs and other Mesoamericans consider _____ to be passageways to the interior
of the Earth.
A. rivers
B. cliffs
C. caves
D. lakes
An Aztec marriage:
A. was celebrated with a feast at the home of the groom’s parents
B. involved a literal tying of the knot
C. was most commonly a love match made by young people
D. generally happened late in life when people had the resources to set up their own
households
In 1519, the city of Tenochtitlan:
A. was larger than any city in Spain
B. boasted a population as high as half a million
C. had a population of less than a thousand since the island was rather small
D. had minimal amenities owing to its island location
The Mixteca people of Mesoamerica:
A. lived primarily in the Basin of Mexico
B. saw their populations peak during the Formative period
C. had a stratified society
D. were not contacted by the Aztecs since they lived too far away
The Aztec ruler credited with the beautification of the city of Tenochtitlan is:
A. Tizoc
B. Motecuzma I
C. Motecuzma II
C. Ahuitzotl
In the northern Yucatn, Mayan inscriptions dating to the Epiclassic period:
A. are almost nonexistent
B. reveal a wealth of information about individual rulers
C. focus on trade and tribute records
D. contain primarily historical information
If you were transported back in time, you could conclude that the people you were
observing were egalitarian societies if they had:
A. a permanent central community with high population density
B. a leader who was able to force people to do his or her bidding
C. temporary camps with a few dozen people in each
D. houses that were constructed of varying sizes and materials
There most powerful of the several city-state rulers among the Postclassic Maya of the
northern Yucatn assumed the title:
A. batab
B. tlatoani
C. halach uinic
D. huetlatoani
During the Terminal Formative, centralized states were prominent at:
A. Monte Albn and Monte Negro
B. Cholula and Teotihuacan
D. Teotihuacan and Chalchuapa
D. Monte Albn and Teotihuacan
An example of a sumptuary law that existed in Aztec society is:
A. the general population did not have access to maize
B. commoners were forbidden from cultivating certain plants
C. only nobles drank pulque and grew maguey
D. commoners, but not nobles, could cut their hair
During the Early Formative:
A. large cities with millions of inhabitants emerged in the Gulf Lowlands
B. intensive agriculture spread to all areas of Mesoamerica
C. tribal horticultural villages were the norm
D. people stopped foraging entirely
In the Molotla neighborhood of Yautepec, Morelos, the multiple-family household
prevailed through time because:
A. there was limited housing in this crowded city, so relatives doubled up with each
other
B. the Aztec empire required related families to live together
C. young people were unable to move out of their natal households due to economic
constraints
D. family and tribute requirements were more easily met with a larger work force
MATCHING 1
1) Cenote
2) Ajaw
3) Sacbe
4) Way
5) Tzolkin
A. “White road” in Mayan
B. Maya lord
C. Divinatory almanac
D. Water-filled sinkhole commonly found in the Yucatn Peninsula
E. Animal alter ego of a Maya ruler
The were-jaguar is a representation of the Olmec supernatural. It features a:
A. cleft head and snarling mouth
B. very hairy jaguar
C. face with sharp jaguar teeth and large round eyes
D. were-wolf’s head and a jaguar’s body
The majority of the population in the Tula region was engaged in:
A. obsidian-blade production
B. pottery making
C. farming
D. designing feather headdresses