Mesoamerica

What is the origin of the peoples of Mesoamerica?

They have their roots in the migration of hunter-gatherers from Siberia around the end of the last Ice Age.

What civilization is considered the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization?

The Olmecs.

Where did the Olmecs primarily inhabit?

The tropical lowlands of modern-day Veracruz and Tabasco in Mexico.

What ecological factors contributed to the rise of Olmec civilization?

Well-watered alluvial soil and a transport route provided by the Coatzacoalcos river basin.

What materials were used for luxury artifacts in Olmec culture?

Non-local materials such as jade, obsidian, and magnetite.

What major event occurred around 900 BCE in San Lorenzo?

San Lorenzo was largely abandoned, and many monuments were destroyed, possibly due to internal uprising or environmental changes.

What significant environmental changes affected the Olmec heartland between 400 and 350 BCE?

Changes possibly triggered by tectonic upheavals or agricultural practices led to a population drop.

What period marks the establishment of the first complex societies in the Maya region?

The Pre-Classic period (2500 BCE-250 CE).

What staple crops were cultivated by the Maya during the Pre-Classic period?

Maize, beans, squashes, and chili peppers.

What was the significance of Kaminaljuyu in Maya civilization?

It developed a powerful government structure and was a major center for irrigation and stone monument construction.

What does the term 'Preclassic collapse' refer to?

The systematic decline and abandonment of major Preclassic cities around 100 CE.

What characterized the Classic Maya period (250-900 CE)?

The raising of dated monuments using the Long Count calendar and a complex network of city-states.

Which two cities were engaged in rivalry during the Classic Maya period?

Tikal and Calakmul.

What major factors contributed to the political collapse of the central Maya region in the 9th century CE?

Endemic warfare, overpopulation, environmental degradation, and drought.

What was the status of the Maya civilization during the Postclassic period (950-1539 CE)?

A significant presence remained, concentrated near water sources, with powerful states in the highlands.

What was the capital of the Kʼicheʼ kingdom during the Postclassic period?

Qʼumarkaj.

What was the significance of Monte Albán in Zapotec civilization?

It was one of the first major cities in Mesoamerica and the center of a dominant Zapotec state.

What characterized the Teotihuacan civilization (100 BCE-750 CE)?

It evolved into a huge urban and administrative center with cultural influences throughout Mesoamerica.

What was the estimated population of Teotihuacan at its zenith?

Approximately 125,000 or more.

What major event occurred in January 378 involving Tikal?

The warlord Sihyaj K'ahk' conquered Tikal, removing and replacing the Maya king.

What factors contributed to the decline of Teotihuacan?

Disruptions in tributary relations, increased social stratification, and power struggles.

What climatic events are correlated with the decline of Teotihuacan?

Lengthy droughts related to climate changes around 535-536 CE.

What type of structures are notably absent from Teotihuacan?

Fortifications and military structures.

What time period did the Toltecs flourish?

950-1150 CE

How did the Aztecs view the Toltecs?

As their intellectual and cultural predecessors.

What was the size of Tula Chico?

Roughly three to six square kilometers.

What notable structures were present in Tula Chico?

Multiple ball courts and pyramids.

What was the estimated population of Tula Grande at its height?

As many as 60,000.

What significant cultural artifacts were found in Tula Grande?

Pyramids, ball-courts, and Atlantean warrior sculptures.

What industry was suggested to exist in Tula Grande?

A workshop-based obsidian industry.

When did the Nahua peoples migrate to central Mexico?

In the early 13th century.

Who were the last Nahua migrants to arrive in Central Mexico?

The Mexica.

What was the outcome of the civil war following the Tepanec king's death in 1426?

Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, Tlacopan, and Huexotzinco went to war against Azcapotzalco and emerged victorious in 1428.

What treaty was formed after the war against Azcapotzalco?

The Triple Alliance.

What was the significance of Tenochtitlan in the Triple Alliance?

It gradually became the dominant power in the alliance.

Who led the Spanish expedition that destroyed Tenochtitlan?

Hernán Cortés.

What happened to the last Aztec emperor, Cuauhtémoc?

He was captured and executed by Cortés in 1525.

What civilization is believed to have developed the first writing system in the Western Hemisphere?

The Olmec did

What is the significance of the Cascajal Block?

It shows a set of 62 symbols, dated between 1100 BCE and 900 BCE.

When do the earliest identifiable Maya inscriptions date back to?

300-200 BCE.

What type of writing system did the Maya use?

A logosyllabic writing system.

What was the main staple of the Maya diet?

Maize, beans, and squashes.

What agricultural innovation did the Aztecs use for farming?

Chinampas, or artificial islands for year-round cultivation.

What was the role of the pochteca in Aztec society?

They were specialized long-distance merchants organized into exclusive guilds.

What were the primary crops cultivated by the Aztecs?

Maize, beans, squashes, chilies, and amaranth.

What was the main source of animal protein for the Olmecs?

The domesticated dog.

What types of goods were traded by the Maya?

Cotton, cacao, and vanilla.

How did the Aztecs ensure the quality of goods in their markets?

They had a system of supervisors to regulate merchants and punish fraud.

What was the form of currency used for small purchases in Aztec markets?

Cacao beans.

What was quachtli in the context of Aztec economy?

Standardized lengths of cotton cloth used for larger purchases.

What was the significance of the markets in Aztec society?

They were highly organized and crucial for trade and distribution of goods.

Q: Who performed Olmec religious activities?

Rulers, full-time priests, and shamans.

Q: Which early deities appear in Olmec art?

The Feathered Serpent and a rain supernatural.

Q: What artifacts suggest the Olmec practiced bloodletting?

Stingray spines and maguey thorns used as bloodletters.

Q: What is the most recognizable Olmec artwork?

The colossal basalt heads.

Q: How many Olmec colossal heads are known?

Seventeen.

Q: What was central to Maya religion?

Ancestor worship.

Q: What common Mesoamerican deity did the Maya worship?

The Feathered Serpent (Kukulcan/Quetzalcoatl).

Q: What hallucinogen did Maya oracular priests use?

Water lilies.

Q: Why were Maya ancestors buried under house floors?

To act as protective ancestors for the family.

Q: Who made up the Maya priesthood?

A closed elite group.

Q: What type of religion did the Zapotec practice?

Polytheism.

Q: What was the main deity of Teotihuacan?

The Great Goddess of Teotihuacan.

Q: What were the four major Aztec gods?

Tlaloc, Huitzilopochtli, Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca.

Q: Why was the Aztec calendar important?

It structured festivals, ceremonies, and warfare.

Q: Why was elite bloodletting important in Mesoamerica?

It maintained political and religious order.

Q: What body part was commonly pierced in bloodletting?

The tongue.

Q: What does Yaxchilan Lintel 24 show?

Lady Xoc pulling a barbed rope through her tongue.

Q: What suggests possible infant sacrifice among the Olmec?

Infant remains found at El Manatí.

Q: Why did the Maya practice human sacrifice?

To nourish the gods with blood.

Q: What was the most common Postclassic Maya sacrifice method?

Heart extraction.

Q: Why did the Aztecs practice large-scale human sacrifice?

To sustain the cosmos and repay divine sacrifice.

Q: What is a tzompantli?

A skull rack displaying sacrificial victims' heads.

Q: Which culture likely invented the Mesoamerican ballgame?

The Olmec invented it.

Q: What material was the ball made of?

Solid rubber.

Q: What was the ritual significance of the ballgame?

It was linked to religion and sometimes sacrifice.

Q: What color did the Maya strongly prefer in art?

Green.

Q: What were the largest Maya sculptures made from?

Stucco façade structures on buildings.

Q: What are Maya eccentric flints?

Elaborate flint carvings not used as tools.

Q: What materials did the Maya use for construction?

Limestone, stucco, and stone shaped with rope-and-water abrasion.

Q: What was Teotihuacan famous for producing?

Obsidian tools and objects.

Q: What are the Toltec Atlanteans?

4.5-meter warrior statues.

Q: What art form were the Aztecs especially known for?

Featherwork.

Q: What is a cuauhxicalli?

A stone vessel used to hold extracted human hearts.

Q: How was Olmec society structured?

Hierarchical, with elites controlling stone and water resources.

Q: What were the main Maya social classes?

Elite, commoners, and possibly a middle class.

Q: Who were the top class in Aztec society?

The pipiltin (hereditary nobles).

Q: How could Aztec commoners gain noble privileges?

Through military success.

Q: What legitimized Maya kings?

Their role as mediators with the supernatural.

Q: What weakened Maya kingship in the Late Classic?

Growth of the aristocracy.

Q: How did the Aztec Empire govern?

Through a tributary system, not direct rule.

Q: What were Flower Wars?

Ritualized battles to capture prisoners for sacrifice.

Q: What weapon was introduced to the Maya by Teotihuacan?

The atlatl.

Q: What armor did Maya warriors wear?

Salt-hardened quilted cotton.

Q: What was the main Aztec weapon?

The macuahuitl.

Q: Why were prisoners preferred over killing in battle?

Captives were needed for sacrifice.

Q: What important cultural "firsts" are attributed to the Olmec?

Bloodletting, human sacrifice, writing, popcorn, zero, the ballgame, the compass, and early calendars.

Who likely invented the Long Count calendar?

The Olmec.

Q: What mathematical base does the Long Count use?

A modified base-20 system.

Q: What symbol represented zero?

A shell glyph