Assessment: Chapter 2—Where Did the Maya Go?

What is the claim in this paragraph? (4.2.b)

• The Maya left their cities sometime between 800 and 900 CE.

• It’s possible this event happened over just a few decades.

• The temples and pyramids began to fall into disrepair.

• The Maya kept careful historical records.

Which sentence is evidence that supports the claim? (4.2.b)

• The Maya left their cities sometime between 800 and 900 CE.

• They used their hieroglyphs to carve names and dates.

• Then in the 900s, the writing mysteriously stopped.

• The Maya kept careful historical records.

What was the effect of Stephens and Catherwood’s work? (4.5.c)

• Scholars immediately decoded Mayan writings and hieroglyphs.

• People around the world became interested in Maya history.

• The Maya civilization rebuilt its cities.

• Maya artifacts were created.

What type of geographic environment was the ancient city of Copán built in?

• rainforest

• highlands

• terrace

• desert

Who was Bishop Diego de Landa? (4.2.a, 4.3, 4.5.a)

• a) a Spanish warrior who conquered the Maya people

• b) a scholar who translated the Popol Vuh into Spanish

• c) a Maya religious leader who befriended a Spanish priest

• d) a Catholic missionary who burned all but four Maya books

What helped researchers decipher Mayan glyphs like these in the 1960s?

• Catherwood’s illustrations

• Egyptian hieroglyphics

• de Landa’s notes

• early computers

According to this map, which modern-day countries have large populations of Maya people today?

• Texas, Mexico, and Florida

• Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala

• Costa Rica, Guatemala, and El Salvador

• the Caribbean, Central America, and Belize

What are archaeologists’ theories about why the Maya left their cities? Select two correct answers.

• They wanted to be safer away from conflicts.

• The Popol Vuh predicted that they should leave.

• Maya rulers cast out their subjects for being disloyal.

• Diseases brought by the Spanish killed many people.

• The Maya cut down too many trees, which decreased rainfall.

Why do historians think the Maya may have moved toward the coast?

• There was a much smaller chance of foreign invasion along the coast.

• The risk of earthquakes and other natural disasters was less near the sea.

• Shipping routes were starting to become sea-based instead of land-based.

• The farming and fishing opportunities were much greater than in the lowlands.

Why do historians think the Maya left their cities around 900 CE and not later? (4.2.b, 4.3, 4.19.g)

• The dirt surrounding the ruins of Maya pyramids dates back to 900 CE.

• Archaeologists did not find any dates later than 900 CE carved into Maya buildings.

• There is evidence that other people were living in Maya territory after 900 CE.

• Archaeologists located a dated pillar that describes a Maya family’s departure.