Maya Civilization Quiz
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Questions and Answers

Which farming method allowed the Maya to adapt to their tropical environment by preventing crops from flooding?

  • Slash-and-burn agriculture
  • Dryland farming
  • Raised field farming (correct)
  • Terraced farming techniques
  • What distinguished the governance of Maya city-states from empires typically seen in ancient civilizations?

  • Each city-state had a shared ruler
  • There was no centralized government structure (correct)
  • Governance was based solely on military strength
  • City-states were united under a single monarch
  • In the social hierarchy of the Maya, who primarily held the roles of military leadership and public work management?

  • Scribes
  • Farmers
  • Nobles (correct)
  • Merchants
  • Which of the following items was NOT typically traded by Maya city-states?

    <p>Grain</p> Signup and view all the answers

    During the Classic Period, which two city-states were considered the most powerful among the Maya?

    <p>Tikal and Calakmul</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What primary purpose did the pyramidal platforms serve in Mayan cities?

    <p>They were sites for religious rites and sacrifices.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which descriptions accurately define the religious practices of the Maya?

    <p>They developed a polytheistic religion with rituals including sacrifices.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What element of the Maya civilization contributed significantly to their ability to conduct ceremonies accurately?

    <p>Their development of an accurate 365-day solar calendar.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What were some suggested reasons for the decline of the Maya civilization around 900 A.D.?

    <p>Overpopulation, disease, or drought disrupting life.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What significant feature of the Mayan writing system distinguishes it from many others?

    <p>It incorporated the concept of zero.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Maya Civilization

    • The Maya were the first to build large cities in present-day Guatemala around 300 B.C.
    • The Maya Golden Age, or the Classic Period, began around 250 A.D., with city-states flourishing from the Yucatán Peninsula to Central America.
    • Before developing large population centers, the Maya lived dispersed across the land.
    • The Maya innovated farming techniques to thrive in tropical environments.
    • To cultivate land, the Maya cleared forests.
    • They built raised fields along riverbanks to elevate crops above annual floodwaters and ensure sufficient food production for rapidly growing cities.
    • Maya cities, though thriving, never formed a single empire.
    • Numerous city-states existed, with Tikal and Calakmul being the most powerful.
    • Inter-city state conflicts and warfare were prevalent.
    • Regular trade between city-states created substantial wealth.
    • Traded goods included daily necessities like honey, salt, and cotton, and luxury items like feathers, precious stones, and jaguar hides.
    • The Maya featured a distinct social hierarchy.
    • Each city was governed by a ruler, typically male.
    • Women occasionally governed independently or as representatives of their young sons.
    • The nobility managed various functions, including military leadership, public works, tax collection, and law enforcement.
    • Scribes, painters, and sculptors held high esteem.
    • Merchants formed a middle class, with the wealthiest becoming part of the nobility.
    • Farmers constituted the majority of Maya society, cultivating maize, beans, squash, fruit trees, cotton, and flowers.
    • Slavery existed in certain cities, typically involving prisoners of war.
    • The Maya civilization made significant advancements in learning and the arts.
    • They developed a complex polytheistic religion.
    • Mayan cities are renowned for their towering stone temples and palaces.
    • Temples often rested on pyramid-shaped platforms and served as places for priests to perform rituals and sacrifices.
    • Some temples also functioned as burial sites for rulers, nobles, and priests.
    • The Maya devised a hieroglyphic writing system that remained undeciphered by scholars until recent decades.
    • Mayan priests became experts in mathematics and astronomy to precisely measure time for ceremonies.
    • They created a solar calendar with 365 days and a number system incorporating the concept of zero.
    • Around 900 A.D., Maya city building ceased, marking the beginning of their civilization's decline.
    • The reasons for this decline are debated, with potential explanations including overpopulation, disease, drought, or peasant revolts against the priesthood and nobility.
    • By the time the Spanish arrived in the 1500s, most Maya inhabited farming villages.

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    Description

    Test your knowledge on the fascinating Maya Civilization, including their development of large cities, agricultural innovations, and interplay of city-states. Discover how the Maya thrived from 300 B.C. and through the Classic Period with trade and conflicts among powerful city-states like Tikal and Calakmul.

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