The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is:
A. the highest mountain peak in Mesoamerica
B. a broad, relatively flat plain
C. a peninsula covered by tropical rainforest
D. where the Aztecs established their capital city
The iconography, architecture, and artifacts at Kaminaljuy support the conclusion that
during the Classic period:
A. Teotihuacanos established themselves there
B. the Pacific Coast dominated its expression of culture
C. the expression of Maya traits was suppressed
D. this site was in decline
The Aztec calpulli:
A. was a land-based organization for rural commoners
B. refers to the temple and young men’s houses found among the commoners
C. had little or no internal status variation among its members
D. is the merchants’ name for the trade of everyday items, such as tortillas
The best evidence for the early development of cities in Mesoamerica comes from
_____, dating back to 500 bc.
A. Monte Albn
B. Teotihuacan
C. Tikal
D. La Venta
The Huehueteotl braziers found in ancient houses of Late Formative Teotihuacan
indicate that:
A. a major temple at the site was dedicated to this deity
B. it was an extremely hot environment
C. families used the braziers to cook their food
D. many refugees from Cuicuilco went to Teotihuacan
Civilizations are identified in the archaeological record specifically by:
A. those sites with domesticated species
B. sites where pottery was produced
C. monumental art and architecture
D. the remains of houses
In the Maya lowlands during the Middle/Late Formative:
A. many areas were abandoned until the Classic period
B. the largest site in Mesoamerica was built
C. there is as yet no archaeological evidence for habitation
D. numerous sites experienced steady growth
The Pyramid of the Magician at Uxmal:
A. was built in two stages
B. is where shamans lived
C. was the residence of Lord Chac
D. was constructed during the Formative period
Motecuzma II was the:
A. brother of Ahuitzotl
B. brother of Tizoc
C. nephew of Itzcoatl
D. son of Axaycatl
The particular group of Mexica that established the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan were
the:
A. Tenochca
B. Tepanec
C. Tolucans
D. Toltecs
In 1473, the Tlatelolco scandal that was used by Tenochtitlan to subjugate that city
occurred when:
A. they lost the trading networks outside the Basin of Mexico and the pochteca moved
to Tenochtitlan
B. the ruler neglected his principal wife, who was the sister of the ruler of Tenochtitlan
C. Tlatelolco’s army embarrassed themselves in combat, so Tenochtitlan took over all
military operations
D. a prince from the royal family ran off with a commoner from among their Tarascan
enemies
The ancient Mesoamerican marketplace:
A. is analogous to the market economy of the modern world
B. was a place reserved for the trade of luxury items, but not of basic items such as food
C. was dominated by barter exchange, although a few societies developed an exchange
medium
D. relied extensively on the use of money made of bark paper for exchange
The field of study that believes that human culture and the biophysical environment are
linked in a dynamic feedback relationship is called:
A. archaeology
B. cultural ecology
C. culture
D. archaeological ecology
Tenochtitlan-Tlatelolco is considered an atypical city-state in the Basin of Mexico
because:
A. the Aztecs had no land-based agrarian population
B. fresh water was in great abundance
C. it could not be defended easily
D. transportation was a major problem
From a map of Corts’s journey from Zempoala to Tenochtitlan in 1519, we can
determine that he:
A. was able to travel unimpeded directly across Mexico to his destination
B. avoided areas occupied by Aztec enemies
C. had to take a circuitous route around Mexico owing to the landscape and his concern
of attack
D. followed the advice of his allies regarding the course of his route
Tula was well known for its _______ who became known as the “Tolteca” by other
peoples (e.g. the Mexica).
A. royalty
B. large population of commoners
C. skilled craftspeople
D. tireless farmers
The earliest pyramid built at Teotihuacan was the:
A. Pyramid of the Moon
B. Pyramid of the Sun
C. Temple-Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent
D. Ciudadela
In the Early Formative of West Mexico, ______ are known from the El Opeo culture.
A. shaft tombs
B. gourd-shaped ceramics
C. colossal heads
D. Mesoamerica’s first pottery vessels
The dates of the Maya Early Classic Period are:
A. ad 250″600
B. ad 1″750
C. ad 300″900
D. ad 600″900
The main product of the south-central Gulf lowlands was:
A. pulque
B. turquoise
C. copper
D. cotton
The environment of Mesoamerica can be characterized as:
A. extremely diverse
B. dry desert areas
C. tropical jungles
D. high altitude plains
The site of Huitzilapa illustrates:
A. that this area of Mesoamerica was totally isolated
B. complexity as early as the Middle Formative
C. how farmers raised crops in dry environments
D. lifestyles outside of the Mesoamerican culture area
Tikal split in two around ad 650 because:
A. its farmers were seeking new land for intensive agriculture
B. it was sacked by Palenque’s army and divided into halves
C. two kings laid claim to the throne
D. a massive earthquake divided the city
Some of Uxmal’s greatest monuments were built during the reign of:
A. Lord Chac
B. King 18-Rabbit
C. Lord Jaguar Paw
D. Lord Tlaloc
Chocolate in ancient Mesoamerica was:
A. primarily consumed as a beverage
B. consumed by everyone on a daily basis
C. mainly grown in highland regions
D. first domesticated by the Aztecs, who used the cacao beans as a medium of exchange
Offering 4 at La Venta:
A. is a mosaic in the form of a jaguar mask
B. contains a headdress made of stingray spines
C. is a collection of sixteen figurines and six stone celts
D. is the Tomb of the Monolithic Columns
Motecuzma Xocoyotzin ruled the Aztecs from:
A. 1486 to 1502
B. 1440 to 1469
C. 1502 to 1520
D. 1520 to 1525
Writing at Teotihuacan:
A. was in a script that used its own system of glyphs
B. has not yet been discovered by archaeologists
C. was the same as the system used in the Maya lowlands
D. was based on the system used at Monte Albn
West Mexican metalworking technology probably originated in:
A. the Northern Arid Zone
B. northwestern South America
C. northeastern South America
D. the Amazon region of South America
The “collapse” of the Classic Maya at Copn:
A. was an extended process, which took place over a few hundred years
B. was a cataclysmic event that occurred when the city was ransacked
C. occurred in ad 822, as recorded on the last written monument
D. happened when the commoners fled, leaving the elites to fend for themselves
MATCHING 1
1) Tlatoani
2) Calmecac
3) Calli
4) Telpochcalli
5) Calpulli
A. Mexica “young men’s house” for training warriors
B. Nahuatl word for “house”
C. A Mexica ward or neighborhood
D. A priestly school that trained young people in special skills
E. A Mexico noble ruler or “speaker”
The Nahuatl name for a Mexica paramount ruler is:
A. emperor divine
B. ruler
C. tlatoani
D. huetlatoani
The ruler of Texcoco who consolidated the Acolhua Domain in the 1430s was:
A. Acamapichtli
B. Xolotl
C. Motecuzma I
D. Nezahualcoyotl
During the Middle Formative, developments in southeastern Mesoamerica:
A. provide clear evidence for ranking in the archaeological record
B. include the carving of colossal heads
C. are difficult to interpret because of the lack of remains
D. resulted in the prominence of this region from 900 to 600 bc