Ancient America

Question 1

Answer 1

Peru, Bolivia and the Amazonian part of Brazil. Shows the difference in landscape - coastal, foothills, andes, slopes, salt flats, rainforest.

Question 2

Answer 2

Contextual understanding of an image by different people. Hollistic view of the world by Mesoamericans - everything is seen as interconnected, unlike our society.

Question 3

Answer 3

Green is a sacred colour in Mesoamerica - the colour of jade, which was a commodity until gold was introduced by invaders. Also the colour of corn and maize which could be harvested before other crops had ripened, providing an important source of food.

Question 4

Answer 4

Colossal Olmec Basalt head. Earliest Mesoamerican culture. 1250-400 BC.

Question 5

Answer 5

Teotihuacan ‘City of the Gods’ , Mexico, Mesoamerica. 100-550 AD. Very wealthy due to the cities control of obsidian. Culture lasted until 750 AD but city was sacked and burned 550-600 AD.

Question 6

Answer 6

• Inca Quipu
• Knotted strings used as a system of recording and communication between different parts of the Inca Empire - had 8-20 million population which was multi ethnic, religious and lingual.

Recorded trade, taxes and sacrifices and where then sent to the capital to be decoded.

Peru, 1438-1532 BC

Question 7

Answer 7

• Moche culture - 100-750 AD, Coastal Peru
• Master potters
• Effigy-jar, Peru
• Golden headdress for funeral rituals

Question 8

Answer 8

In many AmerIndian cultures, pearls, as well as water and emeralds, held special meaning- pearls were thought to hold the world

Question 9

Answer 9

Volanic glass - the sharpest and most common material for blades, for tools and weapons amongst Mesoamericans

Question 10

Answer 10

Tecpatl: The anthropomorphised sacrificial knife. Used for human sacrifices to please dieties.

Question 11

Answer 11

‘Were-jaguar’ being on Olmec serpentine figure, Mexico. 1250-400 BC.

Question 12

Answer 12

Chavín deity, Peru, 850-400 BC. Detailed paintings of mixtures of humans and various animals.

Question 13

Answer 13

Priest, polychrome mural, Teotihuacán, Mexico. 150-750 AD. May depict how priests dressed during rituals. May have been dressing as gods.

Question 14

Answer 14

Maya city of Tikal, Guatemala. 250-900 AD.

• Invented the concept of zero.
• Famous for maths, e.g Mayan calendar

Question 15

Answer 15

Jade death mask of Maya Ruler. Metalwork began in the Andes 1200-1500 AD- therefore early mesoamerica had no gold. Jade was instead the most powerful material. 200-950 AD.

Question 16

Answer 16

Aztec Mexico: The Great Temple. 1350-1521 AD.

We know the most about the Aztecs as they were in power when the Spanish conquered, and the Spanish kept records. Human sacrifices took place at the top of the Great Temple, where the heart was removed while it was still beating.

Question 17

Answer 17

Machu Picchu, Inca Peru. 1438-1532 AD.

Also directly conquered by the Spanish, so we have records. Architecture is made from huge polygonal basalt rocks and is designed to intimidate and look impossible to build.

Question 18

Answer 18

Inca ceramic figurine showing man carrying a typical ‘aryballus’ pottery container. Peru 1438-1532 AD.