Latin American Civilizations

The structures found by archaeologists in Mayan cities like Tikal, built more than a thousand years ago, are made of

• mud

• stone

• wood

• thatch

Which of these modern countries is in the area where Mayan civilization developed and is home to large numbers of Mayas today?

• Panama

• Venezuela

• Guatemala

• Costa Rica

What made it possible for the Olmecs and the Mayas to create permanent settlements?

• sailing

• farming

• metal tools

• wild animals

One skill that the Mayas adapted from the Olmecs was a way to

• make tools out of metal.

• build carts that had wheels.

• use horses or oxen to pull plows.

• write by using pictures as symbols.

What was one job of the Mayan priests?

• They read the calendar.

• They read the calendar.

• They ruled the Mayas.

• They might someday be free.

Mayan priests led rituals and offered sacrifices. What was another role of the priests?

• to foretell the future

• to lead peasant armies

• to carve temple sculptures

• to conduct long-distance trade

Which agricultural technique did the Mayas use to farm in the mountains?

• terraces

• crop rotation

• raised-earth platforms

• slash-and-burn agriculture

Which is NOT a common theory about the decline of the Mayans?

• war between city-states

• a long drought

• population growing faster than the food supply

• alien invasion

What is another name for the area called Central America?

• Misoamerica

• Mayamerica

• Mistoamerica

• Mesoamerica

Which of the following was NOT a major Mayan crop?

• corn

• beans

• grapes

• squash