The Formative period of Mesoamerica is characterized by:
A. the stability of cultural patterns throughout the region
B. adjustments to post-glacial landscapes
C. dynamic culture changes from simple to complex societies
D. the highest populations in the Maya Lowlands
Children were sacrificed to the Mexican deity:
A. Huitzilopochtli
B. Tlaloc
C. Xochiquetzal
D. Quetzalcoatl
Ancient Mesoamerican ball courts are best described as:
A. diamond-shaped
B. H-shaped
C. circular
D. I-shaped
The grand funerary monument of Pakal I at Palenque is known as the:
a. Hieroglyphic Stairway
B. Mansard-roofed palace
C. Temple of Inscriptions
D. Temple of the Jaguar
One of the ways in which the Mexica were able to build up their empire was by:
A. moving out of the Basin of Mexico
B. raising crops for other kingdoms and willingly paying them tribute
C. ingratiating themselves with other dynasties and minimizing conflict
D. warfare and intimidation
During the Early Classic, the Olmec heartland:
A. was a backwater with few settlements
B. had the highest populations in its prehistory
C. was decimated by a volcanic eruption
D. was taken over by colossal heads
When Chalcatzingo reached its apogee during the Middle Formative, the population:
A. was ethnically Olmec
B. may have been as high as 1,000
C. was egalitarian, as reflected in burials and housing
D. built large stone heads
We can conclude that tobacco was important to the Tarascans thanks to:
A. the numerous tobacco fields that were noted by the conquering Spaniards
B. the high quantity of cigarette butts recovered at Tarascan sites
C. the high frequency of pipe fragments present at ceremonial sites
D. plentiful remains of chewed wads of tobacco
A social grouping of foragers that consists of five to ten people, perhaps from one or
two nuclear families, is generally referred to as a:
A. rainy-season group
B. territorial group
C. microband
D. macroband
Two major Classic Maya sites located along the Usumacinta River are:
A. Yaxchiln and Copn
B. Palenque and Yaxchiln
C. Copn and Palenque
D. Cern and Copn
It is generally accepted that the practice of displaying skulls began in the Northwest
Frontier because:
A. the Aztecs reported this fact to their Spanish conquerors
B. emissaries from Teotihuacan observed the skull racks in that region
C. written records confirm it
D. the earliest remains of skull racks have been recovered from this region
The huetlatoani Cuitlahuac died in 1520:
A. at the hands of the Spanish
B. during an internal revolt
C. of smallpox
D. having drowned in Lake Texcoco
The ideal spindle whorl for spinning cotton into thread is:
A. of heavy-duty weight
B. made of metal
C. relatively light
D. red in color
The native population of the Basin of Mexico:
A. had decreased by 75 percent in 1610
B. flourished after the decline of the Aztecs
C. was unaffected by the Aztec downfall
D. migrated inland to hide from the Spanish
The Spaniards conquered all of Mesoamerica:
A. in 1521
B. during the 16th century
C. by the 17th century
D. during the 20th century
Teotihuacan’s population:
A. had to import food from long distances to sustain itself
B. was internally homogenous
C. relied on surrounding areas to support itself
D. peaked during the Terminal Formative
Mirrors in the archaeological record of Mesoamerica:
A. appeared for the first time during the Archaic period
B. may signify the practice of shamanism
C. have been found in the remains of every single Formative period household
D. primarily functioned as utilitarian devices, as they do today
The Itz moved into the northern Yucatn during the Epiclassic because:
A. a major drought affected their Chontalpa homeland
B. the Chontalpa region was under attack from foreign invaders
C. they were spurred on by commercial interests
D. they wanted to spread the cult of the Feathered Serpent
The Aztec ruler Tizoc had a short reign because:
A. he refused to marry a princess selected by his relatives
B. he did not expand the empire
C. the senate voted to impeach him for embezzling the tribute
D. he vandalized the outfits of the Jaguar order before an important Flower War
The Aztec pochteca were:
A. primarily military personnel who brought trade items to conquered peoples
B. sometimes suspected of spying and subsequently killed
C. confined to their particular role in the Aztec economy, even though they tried to
serve other purposes
D. noted for trading goods only for the elites in Aztec society
“Tenochtitlan” roughly translates to mean:
A. “island of the prickly pear cactus fruits”
B. “rocky place of pears and cacti”
C. “between a rock and a prickly pear cactus”
D. “place where the prickly pear cactus grows from a rock”
In the 1950s, the study of the past was revolutionized by the discovery of:
A. radiocarbon dating
B. Mayan hieroglyphics
C. the scientific method
D. new methods of excavation
“Puuc” is the Mayan word for:
A. palace
B. peninsula
C. water god
D. ridge
The Cascajal Block is the remains of:
A. an Olmec writing system
B. the longest Mayan inscription
C. an early ball court
D. building material from La Venta
The kings of Classic Maya polities in the lowlands:
A. tended to write their histories on bark paper
B. are known to us through Mayan texts
C. were typically elected for four-year terms
D. left little record of their dynasties
Tula, Chichn Itz, and Tenochtitlan were cities that flourished during the:
A. Formative period
B. Archaic period
C. Classic period
D. Postclassic period
After the decline of Chichn Itz, this center dominated northern Yucatn politics:
A. Mayapn
B. Man
C. Tayasil
D. Las Flores
The concept of private property in ancient Mesoamerica, particularly among the Aztecs:
A. reflected the lack of true capitalism
B. was most similar to our modern Western perspective
C. existed for neither land nor personal belongings, since everything was the property
of the calpulli
D. applied both to nobles and to commoners
The Tarascans of West Mexico:
A. settled around Lake Petn Itz
B. became vassals of the Aztecs
C. used metal weapons
D. had extensive written records
The art and craft of weaving in Mesoamerica:
A. was synonymous with female identity
B. is most often identified by remains of wooden looms
C. developed during the Postclassic to fulfill tribute obligations
D. was primarily conducted in workshops, rather than in domestic contexts
The end of the Pleistocene:
A. occurred about 10,000 years ago
B. was when a trend of general cooling of the Earth began
C. saw the increase of megafauna all over the world
D. happened about 1,000 years ago
MATCHING 2
1) Pedro Alvarado
2) Narvez
3) Cuatro Seorios
4) Bartolom de las Casas
5) Fray Pedro de Gante
A. Bishop of Chiapas who defended the humanity of native Americans
B. Capitals of Tlaxcala
C. Corts’s chief officer during the conquest of Mexico
D. Franciscan father who set up Catholic schools in the Basin of Mexico
E. Corts’s deputy during the conquest of Mexico
The Temple-Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent was covered up by the Adosada platform
because:
A. the ruling class was expanding and more room was needed for residences
B. the pyramid’s function had changed radically, reflecting social development at the
time
C. the pyramid was old and had to be remodeled
D. building styles had changed during the 4th century ad
MATCHING 2
1) Tezcatlipoca
2) Quetzalcoatl
3) Tlaloc
4) Chalchihuitlicue
5) Tonatiuh
A. God of storms and rain
B. Sun god
C. Goddess of water
D. God of wind and life
E. All-knowing, all-powerful god