Unit 2 Content Test: Ancient Americas

The Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations are called pre-Columbian civilizations because:

• They developed before Christopher Columbus’s first voyage to the Americas in 1492.

• They developed after Christopher Columbus’s first voyage to the Americas in 1492.

• They developed before South America’s Republic of Colombia in 1885.

• They developed after South America’s Republic of Colombia in 1885.

According to a myth passed down among the Aztec, one of their gods told them that they would know that they had found the perfect place to settle when they saw:

• a large lake with several small islands

• a hawk circling over a lake

• aqueducts and causeways

• an eagle sitting on a cactus, holding a snake

The Maya, Aztec, and Inca had the following things in common:

• swamplands and underwater wells

• multiple gods and religious ceremonies

• llamas and toucans

• metal tools and pulleys

Mesoamerica was home to:

• the Inca and the Aztec

• the Inca and the Maya

• the Maya and the Aztec

A sudden, widespread illness is called a(n)

• isthmus

• epidemic

• marsh

• quinoa

Glyphs and codices are proof that the Maya had:

• sacred temples

• a number system

• precious gemstones

• a writing system

Write the correct word from the box to complete the sentence: ________________, the capital and center of the Aztec civilization, was located in present day Mexico City.

• Tenochtitlán

• Chichen Itza

• Machu Picchu

• Cuzco

Write the correct word from the box to complete the sentence: ________________ was the Inca capital.

• Cuzco

• Lima

• Quito

• Bogota

Something that is holy or deserving respect is ________________.

• vast

• primitive

• orderly

• sacred

The end of early Maya civilization was caused by:

• a lack of rainfall, leading to serious drought

• the spread of disease

• Spanish conquest

• no one knows for sure but it was probably a combination of factors