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CH 14&15 Test Review
OC Chapter 14 & 15 Maya, Aztec, Inca Questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| The first people to arrive in the Americas were | hunter-gatherers. |
| What land features are found in North America? | mountains, deserts, grassy plains |
| How does the climate change as one moves from the northernmost part of North America to the south? | It changes from cold and icy to warmer temperatures. |
| Where is Mesoamerica? | the southern part of what is now Mexico and parts of the northern countries of Central America |
| Why were farmers in Mesoamerica successful at domesticating plants in this region? | It had a warm climate and very fertile soil. |
| What is the most accepted theory as to how the first people arrived in the Americas? | People walked across a land bridge that crossed the Bering Strait. |
| What were the main sources of food of the early people in the Americas? | bison, woolly mammoths, fruits, nuts, and wild grains |
| When early people learned to plant seeds and farm, what major impact did this have on their lives? | They were able to settle in one place. |
| What is the name of the peoples who formed the first urban civilization in Mesoamerica? | The Olmec |
| The Olmec are considered a complex civilization because they | built impressive towns, buildings, and artwork and had writing and scientific study. |
| What crop helped establish a reliable food source for the early people in Mesoamerica? | maize (corn) |
| Why did the Maya live in heavily forested areas even though they needed cleared land for crops? | Forest environments provided additional food and wood from trees and other plants. |
| What is obsidian? | a glasslike volcanic rock that the Maya traded |
| What was special about cacao (coca) beans? | They had great value, were restricted to only the most important Maya, and used as money. |
| What types of buildings did the Maya build in their large cities? | pyramids, plazas, temples |
| For what purpose was the temple in the city of Palenque built? | to record the achievements of the king Pacal |
| In order to increase the amount of land to cultivate, farmers | shaped nearby hillsides into flat terraces on which to plant crops. |
| What did cities hope to gain from fighting with enemy cities? | power and land |
| Describe Maya warfare. | very bloody, involving hand-to-hand fighting with clubs and spears |
| What caused the collapse of the Maya civilization? | Historians aren’t sure but think it was a mix of several factors. |
| What are some theories about the decline of the Maya? | drought, over-population, warfare, poor leadership |
| The vast majority of Maya people within the lower class were | farmers. |
| Some responsibilities of the Mayan lower class were | had to give some crops to the rulers, had to help construct buildings, temples, palaces, and other buildings, had to serve in the army during times of war |
| Of all the groups in Maya society, who held the lowest position? | slaves |
| What very important religious ability did the Maya believe their kings had? | the ability to communicate with the gods |
| In order to prevent disasters, the Maya believed their gods needed | blood. |
| For what two main purposes did the Maya use calendars? | to coordinate planting and harvesting and for planning religious events |
| What significant mathematical concept did the Maya help develop? | They were one of the first peoples with a symbol for zero. |
| In what way was the Maya writing system similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics? | They used symbols to represent both objects and sounds. |
| How did the Maya create records of their culture? | They carved symbols into large stone tablets or wrote in bark-paper books. |
| What is the Popol Vuh? | A book that is a valuable source of information about the Maya. |
| After the first Aztecs discovered that there was no good farmland, they | hired themselves out as skilled fighters/warriors. |
| How did the Aztecs conquer the other cities located around Lake Texcoco? | They formed a secret alliance with two other cities. |
| A tribute was | a payment to a more powerful ruler or country. |
| Other than trading their goods, what key role did many merchants perform for the Aztec emperors? | They were spies, alerting the emperors to possible troubles in other regions. |
| Before the arrival of the Europeans (Spaniards), the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán was a | thriving city with about 200,000 residents. |
| What is the name for the type of floating gardens the Aztecs built? | chinampas |
| What were the 3 key factors in the rise of the Aztec Empire? | war, tribute, and trade |
| What are the 3 main reasons the Spainish traveled to the Americas? | to explore new land, to find gold/riches, to spread the Catholic religion |
| What did the Spaniards unknowingly bring with them that helped them conquer the Aztecs? | smallpox and other diseases |
| What prompted Moctezuma II to welcome Hernán Cortés? | Moctezuma thought that Cortés was the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. |
| Other Native American tribes made alliances with Cortés because | they did not like paying tribute to the Aztecs. |
| How did Tenochtitlán’s location help lead to the fall of the Aztec Empire? | The conquistadors could easily cut off the Aztecs’ access to supplies. |
| What role did horses play in the conquest of the Aztecs? | Horses were large and powerful and the Aztecs were terrified of them. |
| Who was the Aztec woman who helped Cortés defeat the Aztecs? | Malintzin |
| The sons of Aztec nobles were sent to special schools to learn | to be government officials, military leaders, or priests |
| What groups of people were the lowest class in Aztec society? | farmers and slaves |
| What is a codex? | a book of historical records |
| What role did human sacrifices play in Aztec society? | They were believed to be necessary to keep the gods happy. |
| What was the main difference between the Aztecs’ religion and the Catholic religion? | The Aztecs believed in hundreds of gods and the conquistadors believed in only one. |
| In the Aztec Empire, who was responsible for keeping track of the calendars? | priests |
| Where did the first Incas live? | in the Andes Mountains |
| The capital city of the Inca Empire was | Cuzco. |
| Establishing Quechua as the official language of the Inca Empire was important because | it helped unify the empire. |
| Which Inca ruler led a great expansion of the empire and established an official religion? | Pachacuti |
| Describe the life of the Inca lower class. | Parents taught their children how to work; most lower-class children did not go to school; Inca law forced lower-class citizens to wear plain clothes. |
| What is a main similarity between the Aztec and Inca religions? | The Aztecs and Incas worshipped many different gods. |
| The Inca labor tax system called the mita required | Inca citizens to “pay” the government in labor instead of money. |
| What event took place soon before the Spaniards arrived and prompted the fall of the Inca Empire? | a civil war |
| Who was the leader of the Spanish conquistadors who invaded the Inca Empire? | Francisco Pizarro |
| Unlike people in the lower class of Inca society, upper-class Incas | did not have to pay the labor tax (mita). |
| Which Inca ruler refused to convert to Christianity, prompting the Spaniards to attack? | Atahualpa |
| Why were the mummies of former Incan kings treated with such respect? | Incas believed their kings never really died. |
| Why was the Inca road system important? | The roads connected all parts of the empire. |
| Machu Picchu was a | royal retreat for Inca rulers. |
| How were Inca stories passed on to future generations? | Official “memorizers” learned long poems about Inca history and passed them on orally. |
| Why are Inca buildings considered a major architectural achievement? | Inca buildings are so tight that it is nearly impossible to fit a knife blade between stones; the stone cutting was so precise that no cement was needed; many Inca buildings are still being used. |
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