AP World History: Modern › Mesoamerican Cultures
Which of the following was the earliest of the major Mesoamerican cultures, and who laid the groundwork for common social features such as long-count calendars, bloodletting rituals, and ballgames?
The Olmec
The Incan
The Maya
The Aztec
None of these
The Olmecs are among the earliest cultures of Mesoamerica and predated all of the other answers - as well as developing the salient social features - so they would be the best answer. The Maya appear to follow the Olmec by approximately five centuries, so while they were an early and influential civilization, they would not be the best answer. The Aztec came to power in the 14th century, so they too would not be a good answer. Lastly, the Inca were a long-lasting civilization, but they were not Mesoamerican, so they would not be the best answer.
What material was commonly used by the Aztecs as a substitute for metal weapons?
Obsidian
Thorns from native plants
Animal claws and teeth
Human bone
The macuahuitl is a common Aztec weapon consisting of a wooden blade with obsidian shards as a cutting surface.
Which was NOT a center of the Mayan civilization?
Monte Alban
Uxmal
Chichen Itza
Tikal
Copan
Monte Alban, one of the first great cities of Mesoamerica, was the center of the Zapotec civilization. It is located in present-day Oaxaca, Mexico. Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Tikal and Copan were important Maya centers.
Which aquaculture technique was used by the Aztecs to grow crops in shallow bodies of fresh water?
Chinampa
Trajinera
Multi-trophic aquaculture
Algaculture
Xochimilco
The chinampa was an extension of land into a fresh body of water that the Aztecs built to grow crops. They were built of lake sediments formed in rectangular shapes and were used to grow crops like tomatoes, maize, squash, beans and chili peppers. At the time of the Spanish conquest, an extensive system of chinampas was found in Lake Texcoco and Lake Xochimilco, which is presently Mexico City. Today both tourists and Mexicans alike enjoy rides in brightly colored boats called trajineras through Xochimilco's chinampas and canals.
Which of these is a defining feature of Olmec art and culture?
Colossal stone heads
Brightly colored fabrics
Intricate weaving and knotting
Ornate gold and silver statuary
The Olmec colossal heads are one of the most recognizable features of their art and culture. Carved from volcanic basalt, the heads are believed to represent rulers of the Olmec people, often dressed as ballplayers.
The Triple Alliance was another name for which Mesoamerican empire?
Aztec Empire
Incan Empire
Toltec Empire
Amymara Empire
Mayan Empire
The Aztecs were actually an alliance of the city states of Texcoco, Tlacopan, and Tenochtitlan. Speakers of the Nahuatl language, the states in central Mexico came to dominate other cities throughout the region through demands of tribute. The primary city-state in the alliance was Tenochtitlan.
Which of the following crops were NOT typical of pre-Colombian agriculture in Mesoamerica?
Wheat
Corn
Beans
Squash
Chili peppers
Grains like wheat and barley were brought over by the Spaniards in times of colonization. The other choices were common crops in Mesoamerica. Chinampa_,_ sediment formations, were used to produce the crops of the other choices.
Which of the following was NOT characteristic of many Mesoamerican cultures?
A high regard to the preparation of the afterlife
A ritual ball game played in a court
Hieroglyphic writing
Cultivation of the bean plant
Numerous states that vied for regional supremacy
A high regard for preparing for the afterlife was more characteristic of the Egyptians, rather than cultures of Mesoamerica. Mesoamerican cultures were more characteristic of the cosmos and religion. The other answers are correct characteristics of Mesoamerican cultures.
Moctezuma II was ruler of which culture during the Spanish conquest of modern-day Mexico?
The Aztec
The Olmec
The Inca
The Maya
The Algonquin
Moctezuma was the leader of the Aztec Empire when the Spanish arrived, so that would be the best answer. The Mayan Empire also existed during that time but they did no have a leader by that name, so they would not be a good choice. The Olmec civilization had declined and been subsumed into the Aztec Empire by then, so they too would not be a good choice. The Inca were not based in modern-day Mexico, so they would not be the best answer here. And the Algonquin were in North America, so they too would not be a good answer.
Which is a correct statement about Quetzalcoatl?
Quetzalcoatl was a Mesoamerican deity of wind and wisdom, represented as a "feathered serpent"
Quetzalcoatl was an Olmec deity of rain, also known as Tlaloc
The name of Quetzalcoatl comes from the Maya language
Depictions of Quetzalcoatl were mysteriously absent from large Mesoamerican centers such as Teotihuacan, Xochicalco and Chichén Itzá
Quetzalcoatl was strictly revered by the Aztec
Quetzalcoatl was a deity revered by many Mesoamerican cultures including the Aztec, Toltec and Olmec. His name in Maya language is Kukulcán, but the name "Quetzalcoatl" is from the Nahuatl language, meaning "feathered serpent. " Depictions and imagery of Quetzalcoatl appear in many sites in Mesoamerica.