Introduction to Mesoamerica

Which sentence best describes "Food Surplus"

• A society produces the exact amount of food it needs

• A society produces less food than it consumes

• Farmers only grow the food needed to feed their families

• A society produces more food than it consumes

Mesoamerica is a historical region in....

• North America and Mexico

• Mexico and Central America

• Central America and South America

• South America

An advanced state of human society, in which a high level of culture, science, industry, and government has been reached is also known as...

• An empire

• A civilization

• An Indigenous society

• An Agrarian (farming) society

What makes a civilization different from a simple society?

Pre-Columbian Civilizations Refers to...

• Civilizations that existed in Colombia and Northern South America

• Civilizations in Mesoamerica that existed after to Columbus's Arrival in the Americas

• Civilizations in Mesoamerica that existed prior to Columbus's Arrival in the Americas

• European civiizations that existed before Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas

Choose the Best Answer:

Once a civilization has achieved a food surplus, it's people are able to....

• Pursue other jobs and occupations in addition to farming

• Continue their lives as farmers

• Completely stop farming

• Conquer other civilizations

When a civilization has a "division of labor," its people engage in a variety of professions and occupations.

1) What is a benefit of a division of labor to a civilization?

2) How do divisions of labor help societies expand and grow?

The Olmec, Toltec, and Maya are all examples of....

• South American civilizations

• Mesoamerican civilizations

• Central American Civilizations

• Mexican Civilizations

Review this map of Native Languages in Mesoamerica.

1) What can you identify about the of diversity pre-Columbian Indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica?

2) What could help language and cultures to spread beyond territory held by empires?

The trade items, religion, languages, and cultures of the Olmec, Toltec, and Maya were all found beyond the territories they controlled. What does this fact say about indigenous civilizations in Mesoamerica?