The Mayas

Where is Mesoamerica?

• Southern part of what is now Mexico and parts of the northern countries of Central America

• Central United States and the northern part of Mexico

• Present-day Panama to the southern end of the Amazon

• The southeastern United States and encompassing the islands of the Caribbean

What is the most accepted theory as to how the first people arrived in the Americas?

• Sea travelers from islands in the South Pacific sailed to the Americas.

• People walked across a land bridge that crossed the Bering Strait.

• People traveled over frozen seas from northern Europe and then into North America.

• Sea travelers sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa.

3. What were the main sources of food of the early people in the Americas?

• early types of maize (corn) and other vegetables that they could grow and jungle animals

• various types of large birds such as turkeys, ducks, and geese

• fish and other foods from the sea

• bison, woolly mammoths, fruits, nuts, and wild grains

Which of the following peoples formed the first urban civilization in Mesoamerica?

• Mayas

• Zuni

• Chavín

• Olmec

Which crop was reserved for the nobles, royal family and King?

• maize

• hot Cheetos

• cacao beans/chocolate

• beans

What was special about cacao beans?

• They had great value, were restricted to only the most important Maya, and used as money.

• They were used in very important religious ceremonies.

• They were used as the primary food for children throughout the Maya world.

• People in the highlands needed cacao beans for dietary purposes.

What is obsidian?

• a spice used throughout the Maya civilization

• a type of seashell that the Maya used as money

• a rare and valuable tree that produces the most beautiful lumber

• a glass-like volcanic rock that the Maya traded

The trading between highland and lowland communities was important mainly because

• news from outside the Maya region was circulated.

• this is how they obtained essential things that they couldn’t get in their own areas.

• people learned how to do new things from the people in the other areas.

• people made new partnerships this way.

Which of the following types of buildings did the Maya not build in their large cities?

• stone pyramids

• public universities

• temples

• large public plazas

What is the significance of the Popol Vuh?

• This book details the Spanish expeditions to the Americas.

• This book explains Maya mathematics.

• This book is a valuable source of information about the Maya.

• This book is a collection of all the important Maya songs.