Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs

Which of these sources best helps scholars learn about the cultures of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca people?

• paintings by recent Spanish painters

• artifacts from the sites of modern cities

• accounts written by English authors

• traditions found among descendants

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

• Panama

• Venezuela

• Guatemala

• Costa Rica

Which description best fits the Valley of Mexico, where the Aztec Empire arose?

• dry and barren

• fertile and high

• cold and mountainous

• low and covered with rainforest

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

• sailing

• farming

• metal tools

• wild animals

Which of these foods would have been new to the Maya when it was introduced from Europe after 1500?

• beans

• squash

• sugar

• chocolate

A Maya sees a stranger and knows what town he or she is from. What traditional Maya art makes this possible?

• weaving cloth in complex patterns

• making jewelry from silver and gold

• carving sculptures in animal shapes

• making hats out of grasses and feathers

What was the biggest problem with slash-and-burn agriculture?

• it wore out the soil

• it injured the cattle

• it drained the swamps

• it destroyed the temples

Why did the Maya create hundreds of glyphs?

• to raise crops on steep mountain slopes

• to communicate sounds, words, and ideas

• to teach men, women, and children their duties

• to protect themselves from foreign invaders

Which describes the solar year calculated by the Maya?

• the year of 260 days on the sacred calendar

• the number of days in a single Calendar Round

• the time it takes Earth to go once around the sun

• the period from one full moon to the next

What does the picture on the Mexican flag symbolize?

• a struggle between the powers of the earth and sky

• the joining of different peoples to make one nation

• the strength of Aztec armies to conquer their neighbors

• a legend about how Aztecs knew where to build their city