Module 09 Study Guide Art of the Americas

Flashcards based on the Module 09 Study Guide on Art of the Americas, covering key terms and concepts related to Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures.

Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures shared certain characteristics such as the ritual ballgame, pyramid building, human sacrifice, _____________ as an agricultural staple, and deities dedicated to natural forces (i.e. rain, storm, fire)

Maize

The largest surviving ballcourt is located in ____________________. 

Chichen Itza.

( True / False ) The Great Serpent Mound in rural, southwestern Ohio is the largest serpent 
effigy in the world. 

This is true

The Great Serpent Mound measures approximately ________ feet in length. 

1,348 feet.

The largest of all the cliff dwellings, known as the ____________________, has about 150 rooms and more than twenty circular rooms. 

Cliff Palace

( True / False ) The peoples of Mesoamerica communicated using multiple languages. 

This is ture 

___________________________ was common among many groups, like the Nahua and Mixtec. 

Human sacrifices

Deities that had important roles across Mesoamerica included a storm/rain god and a 
feathered serpent deity. Among the Mexica, this storm/rain god was known as Tlaloc, and 
the feathered serpent deity was known as _____________________. 

Quetzalcoatl

( True / False ) The 260-day calendar was a ritual calendar, with 24 months of 11 days

This is false 

( True / False ) Based on the sun, the 365-day calendar had 18 months of 20 days, with five 
“extra” nameless days at the end. It was the count of time used for agriculture. 

This is true

At its height, Teotihuacan was one of the largest cities in the world with a population of ________________ people. 

200,000

Strong cultural influences stemming from the Olmec tradition and city of Teotihuacan 
contributed to the development of the ___________ city center and the culture’s Classic artistic 
tradition. 

Mayan

The Temple of the Inscriptions is a ________ level pyramid that rises to a height of about 75 
feet

A three-level pyramid

At the spring and fall equinoxes, the setting sun casts an undulating, serpent-like shadow on 
the stairways at ___________. 

El Castillo.

The best-known architecture in the Andes is that of the ________. 

Incas

Located in the desert on the South Coast of Peru, the Nasca Geoglyphs are among the world’s largest ___________________. 

Geoglyphs.

Geoglyphs, which are designs formed on ____________. 

The ground

Mixtec codices represent a type of writing classified as _________________, meaning the 
characters and pictures used represent complete words and ideas instead of syllables or sounds. 

Logographic.

_____________________ includes the diverse civilizations that shared similar cultural 
characteristics and is located in the geographic areas comprising the modern-day countries of 
Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. 

Mesoamerican civilizations

The ___________ people are generally considered the forerunner of all Mesoamerica cultures including the Maya and Aztecs. 

Olmec