1
The roots of which civilization went back at least 1,500 years before Spanish conquest?
(A)
Maya
(B)
Aztec
(C)
Yanomamo
(D)
Inca
2
Which civilization filled the vacuum left by the collapse of the Toltecs?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
The answer is Aztec.
3
The Aztec capitol was
(A)
Teotihuacán.
(B)
Tenochtitlán.
(C)
Tehuacán.
(D)
Tula.
The answer is Tenochtitlán.
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.
The answer is 1 Reed.
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.
The answer is Aztec.
(C)
the Aztec conception of heaven and Earth, with the most revered members living closest to
“heaven.”
(D)
the cardinal directions.
6
Teotihuacán’s prosperity came from trade, especially of
(A)
bird feathers.
(B)
fish spines.
(C)
gold.
(D)
green obsidian.
Feedback:
The answer is green obsidian.
7
Which of the following is a postclassic Maya center in the northern Yucatán?
(A)
Chichén Itzá
(B)
Monte Albán
(C)
Teotihuacán
(D)
Tula
Feedback:
The answer is Chichén Itzá.
8
Describe the environment and society that we call the Olmec. What is it that makes it
special in the eyes of archaeologists?
Answer:
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.
Answer:
10
Discuss the ninth-century collapse of the Maya culture. What ecological factors were at
play? How do we know?
Answer:
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?
Answer:
12
According to legend, Toltec ruler Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl rose to heaven and turned into
common ancestor.
(A)
the sun.
(B)
the moon.
(C)
the Morning Star.
(D)
a comet.
13
The Toltec ruler Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl moved the capital to Tollan, or “The Place of
(A)
Fire.””
(B)
Gold.””
(C)
Gods.””
(D)
Reeds.””
Feedback:
The answer is Reeds.
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
Feedback:
The answer is Teotihuacán.
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
Feedback:
The answer is Valley of Mexico.
16
The Maya lowlands are located at
(A)
the Yucatán.
(B)
Veracruz.
(C)
Valley of Oaxaca.
Feedback:
The answer is the Morning Star.
(D)
Valley of Mexico.
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.
The answer is La Venta.
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.
The answer is divine kingship.
19
The central institution of lowland Maya civilization was
(A)
shamans.
(B)
gods.
(C)
kingship.
(D)
demons.
The answer is kingship.
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.
The answer is the Yucatán.
21
The “Hieroglyphic Staircase” is situated in
(A)
Palenque.
(B)
Copán.
(C)
Chichén Itzá.
(D)
Tikal.
The answer is Copán.
22
Which Mayan ruler built the Temple of the Inscriptions?
(A)
Pacal the Great
(B)
Great Jaguar Paw
(C)
Lord Water
(D)
Jaguar-Quetzal
The answer is Pacal the Great.
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
The answer is Caracol, Belize.
24
Much Olmec pottery contains images of the
(A)
human-quetzal.
(B)
human-butterfly.
(C)
human-snake.
(D)
human-jaguar.
The answer is human-jaguar.
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?
The answer is Yax-Ch’aktel-Xok.