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Exploring Mesoamerican Civilizations: A Chronological Quiz

This quiz tests your knowledge of Mesoamerican chronology, covering key civilizations, tributes, and archaeological findings that shaped the region.

#Mesoamerica #civilizations #history #archaeology #Maya #Olmec #Triple Alliance

1 Some hypothesize that this mythical island could have been located somewhere in the state of the ________, and it has even been proposed that it was as far north as New Mexico.

2 During this hiatus, the cities of Dos Pilas, Piedras Negras, ________.

3 The provinces controlled by the Triple Alliance were forced to pay a tribute to ________; these payments are recorded in another codex known as the Matrícula de los tributos (Registry of Tribute).

4 Its people were adept at harnessing the natural resources of ________ and at cultivating maize.

5 This social differentiation was based on the possession of certain technical knowledge, such as ________, writing, and commerce.

6 Important early Maya cities include Nakbe, ________, San Bartolo, Cival and Takalik Abaj.

7 Its beginnings are marked by the development of the first ceramic traditions in the West, specifically at sites such as Matanchén, Nayarit, and Puerto Marqués, in ________.

8 In a similar way early Zapotec, Monte Alto Culture in ________'s pacific lowlands, and Maya civilization developed.

9 This group would, in the following decades, conquer a large part of Mesoamerica, creating a united and centralized state whose only rivals were the ________ of Michoacán.

10 The Olmec civilization developed and flourished at such sites as ________ and San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán.

💡 Interesting Facts

  • the Classic Maya archaeological site of Yaxchilan, on the Mexican border with Guatemala, is known for its preserved sculpted lintels (example pictured) detailing the dynastic history of the city.
  • the Classic period Maya city of Punta de Chimino was one of the last cities to survive the political collapse of the Petexbatún region of Guatemala.
  • the Classic Period Mesoamerican archaeological site of Bilbao on the Pacific coastal plain of Guatemala, features a significant amount of sculpture with ballgame imagery.
  • the Late Classic Maya archaeological site of La Muerta, in northern Guatemala, is distinguished by its unusual subterranean labyrinth.
  • the Terminal Classic Puuc Maya site of Sayil (pictured) in Mexico is known for its terraced palace that gives the impression of a three-story building.
  • the powerful Early Classic Mesoamerican city of Balberta, in Guatemala, abruptly collapsed around AD 400.
  • the origin of the Postclassic K'iche' Maya patron deity Jacawitz has been traced back to a historical event at the city of Seibal.
  • the important Early Classic Mesoamerican city of Montana, in Guatemala, was a colony founded by the distant metropolis of Teotihuacan, in Mexico.
  • the Classic Period Maya site of El Zotz, in Guatemala, takes its name from the enormous quantity of bats that live in a cave under the ruins.
  • the Classic Period Maya city of Motul de San José in Guatemala made tribute payments of high quality ceramics after its military defeat.
  • Toniná in Mexico (pyramid pictured) was one of the last of the Classic Period Maya cities to fall into ruin.
  • Temple V (pictured) of the Classic Period Maya archaeological site of Tikal, in Guatemala, was the first pyramid discovered at the site.
  • potbelly sculpture is a crude non-Maya sculptural style distributed along the Pacific slope of southern Mesoamerica and dating to the Preclassic Period.
  • Yohl Ik'nal, queen of the Classic Period Maya city of Palenque in Mexico, was the first known female Mayan ruler.
  • the archaeological site of Topoxte (pictured) has the best surviving example of Postclassic Maya architecture in the Petén region of Guatemala.
  • the Classic Period Maya city of Ixtutz in the Maya Mountains of Guatemala was lost for more than a century after its discovery in 1852.
  • the hieroglyphic inscriptions at the Early Classic Maya city of Bejucal in northern Guatemala were all made within a narrow 40 year period.
  • Gumarcaj, in Guatemala, is archaeologically and ethnohistorically the best known of the Late Postclassic highland Maya capitals.
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