SOCIAL STRUCTURE
This crop was considered sacred and the Maya called themselves "The People of" it.
A) Beans
B) Maize
C) Chili peppers
D) Cacao
B) Maize
What type of homes did upper-class Maya live in?
A) Mud huts
B) Tents
C) Caves
D) Stone buildings
D) Stone buildings
Which explorer bought the ancient city of Copán in the 1800s?
A) William Saturno
B) John Lloyd Stephens
C) Christopher Columbus
D) Hernán Cortés
B) John Lloyd Stephens
What were the symbolic pictures called that the Maya used for writing?
A) Codices
B) Stelae
C) Glyphs
D) Murals
C) Glyphs
Which two groups were directly below the king in the Maya class pyramid?
A) Farmers and slaves
B) Merchants and craftspeople
C) Priests and warriors
D) Scribes and traders
C) Priests and warriors
What did farmers carve into hillsides to grow crops?
A) Rivers
B) Canals
C) Terraces
D) Pyramids
C) Terraces
What was the open central area in Maya cities called?
A) A temple
B) A pyramid
C) A plaza
D) A palace
C) A plaza
What was the folded book made of tree-bark paper called?
A) A stela
B) A pyramid
C) A plaza
D) A codex
D) A codex
What percentage of the Maya population were farmers?
A) 25%
B) 50%
C) The majority (most)
D) 10%
C) The majority (most)
Besides maize, what did the Maya believe nourished the gods?
A) Water
B) Blood
C) Gold
D) Fire
B) Blood
Where did priests conduct ceremonies so everyone could watch?
A) Inside temples
B) In the ball court
C) Underground
D) On top of stepped pyramids
D) On top of stepped pyramids
What important mathematical concept did the Maya develop?
A) Fractions
B) Algebra
C) Zero
D) Calculus
C) Zero
Why did the Maya believe their kings were special?
A) They were the richest
B) They won all the wars
C) They descended from the gods
D) They invented farming
C) They descended from the gods
Who did the Maya most often sacrifice to please the gods?
A) Kings
B) Priests
C) Warriors
D) Slaves (prisoners of war)
D) Slaves (prisoners of war)
Which early Maya city was called the "cradle of Maya civilization" and had 200,000 people?
A) Tikal
B) Copán
C) El Mirador
D) Chichén Itzá
C) El Mirador
Which National Geographic Explorer discovered the San Bartolo mural in 2001?
A) John Lloyd Stephens
B) William Saturno
C) Neil deGrasse Tyson
D) Jane Goodall
B) William Saturno
According to the Maya creation story, what did the gods mix with their blood to successfully create humans?
A) Water and mud
B) Wood and stone
C) Maize flour
D) Cacao beans
C) Maize flour
What did farmers have to do BESIDES growing their own food?
A) Teach children
B) Hunt animals
C) Work on the king's fields and build monuments
D) Make pottery
C) Work on the king's fields and build monuments
By what year had the Maya abandoned many of their cities?
A) 300 B.C.
B) A.D. 250
C) A.D. 900
D) 1500s
C) A.D. 900
What is the name of the famous book that tells the Maya creation story?
A) The Codex
B) The Stela
C) The Popol Vuh
D) The Glyph
C) The Popol Vuh
According to the Maya creation story, the gods made three attempts to create humans. What were the FIRST TWO materials the gods used that failed, and what was the THIRD successful combination?
Multiple Choice Options:
A) First: Stone and water → Second: Mud and leaves → Third: Maize and honey
B) First: Mud → Second: Wood → Third: Maize flour + gods' blood
C) First: Clay → Second: Reeds → Third: Corn and water
D) First: Sand → Second: Bone → Third: Cacao and blood
B) First: Mud → Second: Wood → Third: Maize flour + gods' blood