Maya
What planet was most important to the Maya and associated with war?
Venus
What sacred city built by Pachacuti is often called the “Lost City of the Incas”?
Machu Picchu
What crop was the Aztecs’ most important food?
Corn (Maize)
The region stretching from central Mexico down through northern Central America, where the Maya and Aztec developed, is known as what?
Mesoamerica
Which Mayan sun god turned into a jaguar at night to pass through the underworld?
Kinich Ahau
What were the relay runners of the Inca Empire called?
Chasquis
What were the Aztecs’ floating gardens called?
Chinampas
What is the etymology of "Mesoamerica"?
From the Greek word "Meso-", meaning middle
What was the name of the 365-day Mayan agricultural calendar?
Haab calendar
What farming technique did the Incas use that looked like “giant stairs” on mountains?
Terrace farming
What substance, made from cacao beans, was used as money by the Aztecs?
Chocolate (Cacao)
What is the scientific name of the diseases that contributed to the down fall of the Aztec empire?
variola virus
In Mayan numbers, which symbol represented zero?
A shell
What surgical operation did the Incas perform by scraping or drilling the skull?
Trepanation
What was the name of the Aztec 260-day ritual calendar?
Tonalpohualli
At Tikal, some temples were constructed to face each other directly across plazas. Why did the Maya design them this way?
To align with celestial events (such as solstices and equinoxes) and to create sacred spaces for rituals, symbolizing the connection between the heavens, the underworld, and human society.
What is the name of the famous pyramid in Chichén Itzá that aligns with the sun during equinoxes?
Temple of Kukulcan (El Castillo)
What was the name of the Inca labor tax system where citizens worked for the state?
Mita system
Who led the Spanish conquest that ended the Aztec Empire in 1521?
Hernán Cortés
The Maya, Inca, and Aztec all relied on a farming method known as the “Three Sisters.” What are the components of this system?
Corn (maize), beans, and squash