Mesoamerica

Question 1

(65Q) Who were the Olmecs? How did we know about them?

Answer 1

(65A) The Olmec was the earliest civilization in the Americas ; Colossal Stones

Question 2

(66Q) Describe the geography of the Yucatan peninsula

Answer 2

(66A) Location of the Mayan Empire

Question 3

(67Q) What is a stelae and how was it important to the Mayan?

Answer 3

(67A) Stelae are tall, thin slabs of rocks that highlights the accomplishments of their rulers. It allowed us to discover more about them by reading the hieroglyphs on them.

Question 4

(68Q) Describe the game of Pok-ta-pok

Answer 4

(68A) A religious game which goal was to get the rubber ball to a certain location without using their hand and feet. The losers are sacrificed to the gods.

Question 5

(69Q) Explain why observatories were important to the Mayan?

Answer 5

(69A) Observatories (buildings that observed the sky) help the Mayan create their calendar

Question 6

(70Q) How have scholars learned about the deeds of Mayan rulers?

Answer 6

(70A) The hieroglyphs carved into stelae

Question 7

(71Q)How did the Aztecs increase their farmland?

Answer 7

(71A) They build Chinampas (“floating gardens”)

Question 8

(72Q) Describe the city of Tenochitilian

Answer 8

(72A) Tenochitilian is an island. It was the capital of the Aztec Empire

Question 9

(73Q) Where did the Aztecs settle after their nomadic period?

Answer 9

(73A) On a island in Lake Texcoco

Question 10

(74Q) Describe the water in Lake Texcoco. What did the Aztec build to deal with the water?

Answer 10

(74A) The water was brackish (salty) ; they built a dike (a wall to separate water) which allowed freshwater to enter a closed off area of the lake

Question 11

(75Q) What slash and burn agriculture and who used it?

Answer 11

(75A) The Olmec used the slash and burn method to clear room for farming & fill the soil with nutrients

Question 12

(76Q) What was the Triple Alliance?

Answer 12

(76A) A group that ruled the Aztec Empire