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WorksheetsMesoamerican Civilizations
Total questions: 40
Worksheet time: 40mins
The first Mesoamerican civilization began:
right after people crossed the Bearing Land Bridge.
once people learned to mine obsidian.
once people learned to farm in poor rain forest soils.
once people learned to fish along the jungle coasts.
The Olmec civilization of Mesoamerica developed in
the Valley of Mexico
Lake Texcoco
the forests in the tropical lowlands
the highlands of Peru
Aztec kings ruled as a(n) ________, with total power over their people:
tyranny
absolute monarchy
democracy
socialism
The Olmecs used __________ to farm the rain forest.
domesticate animals
specialized agriculture
slash-and-burn agriculture
surpluses
The Maya developed an advanced writing system based on symbols called:
Chinese symbols
Orators
Sanskrit
Hieroglyphics
According to their religion, the Maya believed that
kings and priests could communicate with the gods.
their kings should be worshiped as living gods.
priests and nobles should not mix together.
human sacrifice was forbidden by the gods.
A major achievement of the Maya was:
creating metal tools.
developing the concept of zero.
domesticating horses and oxen.
inventing the wheel.
Who ran the everyday operations of the Aztec government?
The king of Tenochtitlan
The War Council
The Supreme Council
The Chief Minister
Which of these statements best describe Maya cities:
Maya cities were built on islands in lakes.
Maya cities were made mostly from tropical wood.
Maya cities have relatively few buildings.
Maya cities had pyramids and palaces in their centers.
At its peak, the Aztec empire:
controlled all of present-day Mexico.
extended from Central Mexico to Guatemala.
Controlled only the Valley of Mexico.
Had a population of one million people.
To increase the land available for farming, the Aztecs built...
Chinampas
dikes
aqueducts
basins
How did the Aztecs take control of the basin known as the Valley of Mexico?
They were the first civilization to develop in the area.
They built a dike that cut off their enemies from Lake Texcoco.
They conquered their neighbors with a powerful army.
They produced traded goods that made them wealthy.
Many features of the Aztec engineering were necessary by Tenochtitlan’s location in:
in the middle of a harsh desert.
at a high altitude in the mountains.
on a small island in a shallow lake.
in the middle of a dense jungle.
Many Maya pyramids had _________ at the top:
observatories
temples
palaces
tombs
Maya astronomers built ________ to follow the path of objects in the sky.
observatories
temples
palaces
tombs
Why did the Aztecs offered human sacrifices to the god Huitzilopotchli?
They believe their blood would keep their children happy.
They believe their chief god needed blood to be strong.
They were cruel people who enjoyed hurting one another.
They were punishing their enemies who also engaged in human sacrifice.
Aztec artists used tropical feathers to:
create elegant food dishes.
create fans, capes, headdresses and shields.
construct large frameworks that allowed them to fly.
make writing instruments similar to quill pens.
The two main social classes of Aztec society were:
artists and commoners
nobles and commoners
nobles and slaves
priests and kings
The Aztec Empire ended in the 1500’s because:
They were conquered by Europeans.
They left their cities and moved to Peru.
It is no known why people abandoned the cities.
They abandoned their cities due to droughts and war.
Moctezuma was a real Aztec king who ruled the Aztec people.
True
False
Moctezuma’s ancestors founded Tenochtitlan, because they spotted an eagle holding a snake on a cactus, on an island in Lake Texcoco.
True
False
The oldest civilizations in the Americas formed in an area called North America.
True
False
The first people to settle in the Americas came from Europe.
True
False
The Zapotecs built a beautiful city called Monte Alban.
True
False
The first system of writing in the Americas was developed by the Olmecs.
True
False
The Mayan economy was based only on farming.
True
False
The Maya had a very complex government system with a triple alliance.
True
False
The Aztecs believed in many gods.
True
False
The Maya use to sacrifice prisoners of war, slaves and children.
True
False
The Maya believed that human sacrifices where part of a natural cycle of death and rebirth.
True
False
The Aztecs where great builders and they build chinampas, dikes and aqueducts.
True
False
The Aztecs were very peaceful people with no interest in war.
True
False
Aztecs used a system of taxes called “alliance” to get vast quantities for supplies from other conquered people.
True
False
The most important Aztec gods where Tlaloc and Palenque.
True
False
Three (3) contributions of the Maya Civilization are: (Select 3 answers)
Use of the concept of zero.
Chinampas
Aqueducts
365 days calendar
hieroglyphic writing
Three 3 contributions of the Aztec Civilization are: (Select 3 answers)
Use of the concept of zero
Aqueducts
Chinampas
Hieroglyphics
Dike construction
Mention the 3 most important aspects of Aztec’s society. (Select 3 answers)
Farming
Warfare
Social Classes
Trading
Religion
Who Conquered the Aztecs?
Francisco Pizarro
Cristobal Colon
Hernan Cortes
Juan Ponce de Leon
What is the name of the Maya language?
Nahuatl
Quechua
Quiche
Stelae
What was the name of the Maya Sacred Book?
Popol Vuh
Vedas
Quran
Upanishad
