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Brief History of the Aztecs Trivia Quiz

Questions are related to Aztec history in general, between 1300 and 1521, when they were conquered by the Spanish.

A multiple-choice quiz by AlexT781. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
AlexT781

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
393,446

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
235

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The origin of the Aztecs is said to be what city that was supposedly located in the southwestern United States or northern Mexico? Hint

Acozac

Teotihuacan

Aztlan

Tlacopan

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. The name "Aztec" is not the actual name of the people. By what name did the Aztecs call themselves, which eventually became the name of a modern country? Hint

Anahuac

Tepanecas

Mexica

Culhuacan

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Nahuatl, the Aztec language, is still spoken today by about 1.5 million people.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. The Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan was built on a man-made island in which lake that eventually disappeared underneath modern Mexico City? Hint

Lake Texcoco

Lake Xaltocan

Lake Zumpango

Lake Chalco

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Question 5 of 10

5. Even though we have many written records of the Aztecs, their origin and early years in the Valley of Mexico are uncertain. What is the main reason for this uncertainty? Hint

Many documents can't be translated

The Spanish sent the records back to Spain with the gold

The Aztecs never wrote down their origins

The original records were destroyed

6. The Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico relatively late, around the year 1300. They settled in a part of the Valley that was held by the Tepanecas, a related culture. More famous for a much later battle fought there, by what name is the area known? Hint

Vera Cruz

Resaca de la Palma

Cerro Gordo

Chapultepec

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. In the year 1323, the Aztecs were offered a princess from the Culhuacan, a neighboring people to the south, to be wed to the Aztec king. Expecting a marriage, albeit political, what did the Aztecs do to enrage the Culhuacan, who then forced the Aztecs out of their land and onto Lake Texcoco? Hint

Prevented the marriage from being consumated

The Aztec king refused to marry her

Offered her as a sacrifice

Allowed her to be kidnapped by the rival Tlacopans

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Tenochtitlan had a series of aqueducts running from springs on Chapultepec Hill to provide water for washing and cleaning, but not drinking. Where did the Aztecs get their drinking water? Hint

drinking water was sold at the market

they drank alcohol

straight from the lake

they traded for it

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. The Pochteca were travelling traders who specialized in selling more luxurious goods not found in the common markets. Since they travelled widely and knew what was going on in many cities, what second occupation did many engage in? Hint

creation of a kind of guild network

insider trading

spying

monopolization of the luxury markets

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. The Aztec empire began as an alliance among the three most powerful cities within the Valley of Mexico.

True

False

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The origin of the Aztecs is said to be what city that was supposedly located in the southwestern United States or northern Mexico?

Answer: Aztlan

The existence of Aztlan has been debated for years. Aztec accounts regarding the city don't always agree on the details, and in some cases directly contradict other writings. If the city did exist, it appears to have been located somewhere in the vast area of the American southwest and northern Mexico.

2. The name "Aztec" is not the actual name of the people. By what name did the Aztecs call themselves, which eventually became the name of a modern country?

Answer: Mexica

We get the name Aztec from the Nahuatl word Aztecah, meaning "people from Aztlan". After the Aztecs were conquered, the lands of their empire became the State of Mexico, derived from Mexica. It was a part of New Spain.

3. Nahuatl, the Aztec language, is still spoken today by about 1.5 million people.

Answer: True

The king of Spain, in 1570, ordered Nahuatl to be the official language of New Spain. However, 100 years later all languages except Spanish were banned in Spain's colonies. The use of Nahuatl dropped sharply from that point, and is mainly spoken by the rural and poor indigenous populations today.

4. The Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan was built on a man-made island in which lake that eventually disappeared underneath modern Mexico City?

Answer: Lake Texcoco

Tenochtitlan was one of two cities on the island, the other being Tlatelolco. Tenochtitlan was founded about 1325, and served as the capital of the Aztec Empire until it was captured by the Spanish in 1521.

5. Even though we have many written records of the Aztecs, their origin and early years in the Valley of Mexico are uncertain. What is the main reason for this uncertainty?

Answer: The original records were destroyed

The intentional destruction of original documents relating to the actual origin (or origin myth) of the Aztecs was done in order to rewrite history by a half-brother of Moctezuma I. Today, this rewrite makes it very difficult for researchers studying Aztec origins because many of these re-written documents can't be taken at face value.

Answer: Chapultepec

Chapultepec is much more famous as a battle in the Mexican-American War. However, it is also the land the Aztecs first settled upon arriving in the Valley of Mexico. Today, Chapultepec is a district of Mexico City.

Answer: Offered her as a sacrifice

The Aztec believed that by sacrificing her, she would become the goddess Yaocihuatl. The king of the Culhuacan was so enraged that he immediately banished all of the Aztecs from his lands. This led to the founding of Tenochtitlan two years later.

8. Tenochtitlan had a series of aqueducts running from springs on Chapultepec Hill to provide water for washing and cleaning, but not drinking. Where did the Aztecs get their drinking water?

Answer: drinking water was sold at the market

At its peak, Tenochtitlan covered about 13 square kilometers and housed nearly 200,000 people. The aqueducts running through the city were uncovered, making it unsafe to drink because it was so easily contaminated. Instead, the Aztecs sold bottles of water at the market in Tenochtitlan.

Answer: spying

The Pochteca were akin to a merchant class, between the nobles and commoners. They engaged in long-distance trading as well as within the Aztec Empire. The older Pochtecas no longer engaged in intercity commerce, but ensured each city's market ran properly and that taxes were paid.

10. The Aztec empire began as an alliance among the three most powerful cities within the Valley of Mexico.

Answer: True

The "Triple Alliance" grew out of a civil war among the Tepanec, the leading city-state in the Valley of Mexico. At the end of the Tepanec War, as it is called, in 1428, the Aztecs joined in an alliance with the city-states of Texcoco and Tlacopan. This alliance grew into what we usually call the Aztec Empire today.

Source: Author AlexT781

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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