Chapter 18 (Ancient America) Flashcards
Which of the following is not part of the Mesoamerica region?
Bolivia
How did the division of labor affect Mesoamerican societies?
It created a hierarchy that formed the social organization of the societies.
- At regular intervals the Olmec as a community would convene for ritual observances at which of the following sites?
San Lorenzo and La Venta
- Which of the following would account for the unique cosmopolitan character of Teotihuacán?
The city’s diversified populations
- Which of the following has been proposed as the identity of the giant Olmec heads?
Rulers
- The layout of the La Venta site is an early form of the temple-pyramid and plaza complex. Which of the following is a possible explanation for the temple-pyramid?
Mimics the sacred mountain
- The Olmec carved and polished ax-shaped forms are called ____.
celts
- The human-animal representations used by Olmec religious practitioners are thought to symbolize which of the following?
Transformations in order to wrest power from supernatural forces
- Recent archaeological work in West Mexico has discovered that these people did not produce large-scale stone sculpture. In addition to this discovery, what other important find has been uncovered?
Tiered platforms and ball courts
- Which of the following would support the belief that West Mexican tombs were filled with elaborate offerings?
Deep shafts with chambers at base
- West Mexican ceramics are noted for the small-scale narrative scenes including temples and houses with figurines shown in a variety of lively activities. Based on this information, which of the following would support their value for analysis?
They may provide informal glimpses into daily life.
- What architectural feature has been found in nearly all Mesoamerican cultures?
A ball court
- What significant change occurred at Teotihuacán?
It underwent monumental expansion into a genuine city.
- Teotihuacán as well as its key pyramids are carefully oriented. Which of the following is the commonly suggested reasoning for such placement?
Related to astronomical phenomena
- Which of the following supports the importance of San Lorenzo and La Venta to Olmec culture?
Represented the structure and ideals of Olmec society
- Which of the following does the urban plan of Teotihuacán most resemble?
Hellenistic and Roman city planning
- What does Maya architecture signify?
Power of the ruler
- The Mesoamerican Mexican Preclassic period is ____.
2000 BCE to CE 300
- The economic base of Mesoamerican Mexico was which of the following?
Cultivation of maize (corn)
- The modern-day region occupied by the Classic Maya was which of the following?
Belize, southern Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala
- We have a much better understanding of the chronology of Mesoamerica due to the deciphering of the writing and dating system of which of the following groups?
Olmecs
- Which of the following was one of the purposes of Maya ritual?
Guaranteed the order of the state and the cosmos
- Which of the following describes Temple I at Tikal (Temple of the Giant Jaguar).
The tomb of a ruler is found beneath it.
- Ceramic figures from Jaina most often represented which of the following?
Scenes from everyday life
- Like most Mesoamerican cities, Teotihuacán had a mural program. One mural features a goddess, earth or nature, thought to be the city’s principal deity. Among the motifs ascribed to this deity are human hearts that were essential attributes in the Mesoamerican ritual of human sacrifice. Which of the following is an explanation for the ritual of human sacrifice?
Essential to agricultural renewal
- Which of the groups below is often referred to as the “mother culture” of Mesoamerican Mexico?
Maya
- How is the Chavín horizon style now defined?
The culmination of developments, which began 2,000 years earlier elsewhere
- Corbelled vault construction was typical of the architecture of the ____.
Maya
- Which site did the Aztec visit with a deep sense of reverence?
Teotihuacán
- Which of the following was typical of Mayan art and architecture?
Creation of huge ceremonial centers
- The feathered serpent is one guise of which Mesoamerican Mexican deity?
Quetzalcoatl
- Which of the following sites is not located in South America?
Chichén Itzá
- Most extant objects from the Adena and Mississippian cultures were found in which of the following?
Burial and temple mounds
- Teotihuacano murals most often depicted which of the following?
Deities and ritual activity
- Which of the following describes the southwest kiva?
A large circular semi-subterranean structure
- Which of the following describes the Tairona pendants and their use?
Hammered gold, meant to be worn as amulets and talismans
- How did Chavín iconography spread throughout the Andean region?
Via portable media
