People & Empires in the Americas

What caused the end of land travel across Beringia?

• glaciers melted
• ships were invented
• tropical forests disappeared
• mammoths were overhunted

Which is a characteristic of Olmec civilization?

• elaborate design of urban spaces
• organized ceremonial centers
• used a cougar motif in their artwork
• used hieroglyphic writing

What was the heart of the Cahokia community?

• large earthen mounds that held tombs
• tall pyramid topped with a temple
• palace dwelt in by the king
• cliff-side dwelling

What was the basic unit of social organization among North American Native Americans?

• the clan
• the tribe
• the pueblo
• the family

What was the Popol Vuh?

• book written by the Mayans
• ancient calendar used by the Mayans
• form of Mayan math that included the zero
• astronomical observation of the planets, sun & moon

Why were waterways important to the Aztec?

• They built farm plots along the Pacific Ocean.
• They built their city with massive walls surrounding its perimeter.
• They built canals to transport people & goods throughout the city.
• They built a temple in the central plaza that was dedicated to the rain god.

To where did all of the roads in the Incan empire lead?

• the tombs
• the capital
• the seaside
• the farmland

What caused the end of the great Incan empire?

• The Incan military joined forces with the Aztec
• The Spanish divided & conquered the empire
• The sons of the Incan king refused to take power
• The people of Ecuador waged war on the Incan people

How were the Aztecs able to provide food for their large urban population?

• They hunted for wild game
• They pilfered food from neighboring settlements
• They went to war with farming communities nearby
• They grew food on floating islands

Why did the Mayan civilization decline into small, weak city-states?

• warfare
• drought
• overthrow of the king
• destruction of holy temples