Early Mesoamerican Civilizations

5/24 Mesoamerica Civilizations Review

​Ancient Civilizations of Latin America

This includes the area between North America and South America called Central America

Ancient Civilizations Mesoamerica

Cultural area in Central America that extends from central Mexico to the tip of South America in what is now Belize

Multiple Choice

Cultural area in central America that extends from central Mexico through the continent of South America

• Mesoamerica

• Assimilate

• Terrace farming

• House of Burgess

Earliest Meso and South American cultures

Olmecs: Oldest civilization, known for their huge stone sculptures (large heads) see the pictures https://www.google.com/search?q=olmecs&rlz=1C1GCEB_enUS1008US1012&oq=Olmecs&aqs=chrome.0.0i433i512j0i512l8j0i10i512.4034j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Maya: farmed and built pyramids

Aztec: located in central Mexico, were skilled warriors

Inca: located in South America (mainly Peru) and used quipu as a way to keep records

The name Olmec is a Nahuatl—the Aztec language—word; it means the rubber people.

Important!

The Olmec were the first major civilization in Mexico. They lived in the tropical lowlands on the Gulf of Mexico in the present-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco.

Did you Know..

Who were the Olmec?

Multiple Choice

The Olmec were the first major civilization in ________. Their name is Nahuatl—of the ______ language—word; it means the ________ people.

• Aztec, Mexico, Aztec

• Mexico, Aztec, Rubber

• Inca, Mexico, Aztec

• Mayan, Aztec, Incan

Multiple Choice

Which civilization is considered the "Mother Culture" of early Central America?

• the Olmec

• the Inca

• the Maya

• the Aztec

Multiple Choice

What group of people did the giant stone heads belong to?

• Mexica

• Aztec

• Olmec

• Maya

Terrace Farming

method of farming in which steps are cut into a hillside to provide a flat surface for growing crops.

Multiple Choice

method of farming in which steps are cut into a hillside to provide a flat surface for growing crops

• House of Burgess

• Terrace Farming

• Colombian Exchange

• Mesoamerica

Multiple Choice

Which kingdom was the biggest in the Americas, based in the Andes Mountains of Peru?

• the Olmec

• the Inca

• the Maya

• the Aztec

Multiple Choice

What did the Incas use to link the various tribes?

• the internet

• money

• roads

• cellular phone technology

Multiple Choice

What city was known as the city of the clouds?

• Los Angeles

• Bolivia

• North America

• Machu Picchu

Multiple Choice

What was the central city of the Incas?

• Teotihuacan

• Rio De Janiero

• Cuzco, Peru

• San Diego

Multiple Choice

The Incan civilization developed

• along a narrow desert bordering the Pacific Ocean.

• in the jungles of the Amazon rainforest.

• in the Andes mountains of South America.

• on islands off the coast of South America.

Multiple Choice

The group that ruled the Aztec empire was known as

• the Supreme Council.

• the Triple Alliance.

• the War Council.

• the absolute monarchy.

Multiple Choice

The Aztec Empire

• controlled all of present-day Mexico.

• extended from central Mexico to Guatemala.

• controlled only the Valley of Mexico.

• had a population of one million people.

Multiple Choice

Which civilization was located around Lake Texcoco?

• the Aztec civilization

• the Mayan civilization

• the Inca civilization

• the Chumash civilization

Multiple Choice

The Aztecs built _____________ for land to farm.

• chinampas.

• dikes.

• aqueducts.

• basins.

Slash-and-Burn Agriculture

the process of cutting, burning, and clearing land for agriculture

Multiple Choice

the process of cutting, burning, and clearing land for agriculture

• Assimilate

• House of Burgess

• Slash-and Burn Agriculture

• Colombian Exchange

Multiple Choice

Tenochtitlan was ________.

• a city built by the Aztecs in what is now Mexico City

• an Incan city built on a 9,000-foot mountain

• the city where the first Olmec stone heads were discovered

• a Mayan city with more than 3,000 structures

Multiple Choice

Where did the Mayan civilization develop?

• in what is now Ecuador

• in what is now Mexico City

• in the Andes Mountains

• in the Yucatan Peninsula

Multiple Choice

Where were the advanced agriculturists and city-states located?

• Yucatan

• Peru

• Machu Pichu

• California

Multiple Choice

The losers of the Mayan ball games were ________.

• forced into slavery

• killed in a ritual

• exiled from the kingdom

• shunned for a year

Multiple Choice

The Maya writing system was _____________.

• Hieroglyphics

• Cuneiform

• Demotic

Multiple Choice

Maya astronomers created three

• star charts.

• mathematics.

• observatories.

• calendars.

Multiple Choice

Why did the Mayan civilization disappear in 869?

• The Spanish came looking for gold and riches

• Smallpox killed off the population

• We don't know!

• The Aztecs conquered them

Multiple Choice

The Mesoamericans used _____________________ to farm the rainforest.

• Contour plowing

• Silt Fences

• Slash-and-burn agriculture

• Crop Rotation