Pre-Columbian Mexico Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Isthmus of Tehuantepec

The Isthmus of Tehuantepec, at its narrowest point, separates the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean by a mere 124 miles. Before the Panama Canal opened in 1914, the Isthmus of Tehuantepec provided an alternative trade route for goods from Europe and the North American Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific coast and Asia. A British engineering and construction company finally succeeded in spanning the isthmus with a railroad in 1907, but it was soon made obsolete by the Panama Canal.

The Olmecs, known primarily for the giant carved basalt heads they created, flourished in the steamy lowlands of Tehuantepec adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico in what are the modern day states of Veracruz and Tabasco. They are regarded as one of the first true civilizations in the Western Hemisphere.

Answer: Teotihuacan

The Pyramids of the Sun and Moon were important centers of religion and ritual sacrifice for the people of Teotihuacan. Looters and the ravages of time have obscured the exact purpose of the massive Pyramid of the Sun, the third largest ancient pyramid in the world. The Pyramid of the Moon is situated at the end of the Avenue of the Dead and is believed to be the altar of ritual sacrifice in honor of the Great Goddess of Teotihuacan, a deity responsible for fertility and water.

The Teotihuacan culture reached its peak in 450 AD with city of Teotihuacan reaching a population of over 125,000 inhabitants. This made it the largest settlement in the Americas, and the first true city in the history of the Americas.

Answer: Astronomical observatory

El Caracol was named for the spiral staircase found inside the structure. It is believed that the Mayans built it to give them an unobstructed view of the night skies above the tree line of their jungle home. Mayan understanding and measuring of astronomical events rivaled, and in some cases surpassed, that of their European counterparts, even though they lacked even rudimentary telescopes. Mayan urban planning was usually based on the alignment of specific buildings to coincide with periodic astronomical events such as the equinox and the solstice.

Answer: Toltec

The Toltecs were a large civilization which was based in central Mexico during Europe's Dark Ages. At its peak their capital at Tula, in modern day Hidalgo, controlled most of central and southern Mexico. The monoliths, dubbed "Atlantean figures" by European archeologists, are roughly fourteen and one half feet in height and weigh in at eight tons.

The figures are believed to represent the order and discipline required by social codes of this bellicose expansionist civilization.

Answer: The Mayan god of wind and storms

Huracan was one of the three principle deities of the Maya and was believed to be involved in the creation, destruction, and subsequent recreation of the Earth. Appeasing this god was of great importance to the Maya as they inhabited a flat lowland jungle particularly vulnerable to tropical storms.

The English word hurricane is derived from Huracan, but in Maya it translates to One Leg. Huracan is often depicted with one human leg and a serpent as his other limb.

Answer: Zapotec

The Zapotecs controlled the Oaxaca Valley in south central Mexico for over a millennium starting in 400 BCE. Their exquisite architectural masterpieces can be seen today near the modern city of Oaxaca de Juarez. Mitla is known for its precisely cut masonry structures which have withstood earthquakes, flood, and war despite lacking mortar or any other material to bond the stones together. Monte Alban is best know for its well preserved "ball court" where warriors and athletes competed in a game involving a stone hoop and a rubber ball, not unlike modern basketball.

Answer: Hummnigbird

Huitzilopochtli (the left-handed Hummingbird) was a key deity in the Aztec pantheon representing the Sun and war. He is believed to be the last and smallest of four sons born to the Aztec creators, Tonacatecutli and Tonacacihuatl. His name is a compound Nahuatl word; huitzil meaning hummingbird, and opochtli meaning left-hand side.

It is not clear to modern scholars why this god was given such an imaginatively specific name.

Answer: Tenochtitlan and Lake Texcoco

Tenochtitlan was the political, economic, military and religious center of the militaristic Aztec Empire. Founded in the fourteenth century, the city initially occupied a large island just off the western shore of Lake Texcoco. As the city grew, it expanded to smaller neighboring islands, and rapidly grew to a population of over 200,000 at the time of the Spanish Conquest. An intricate network of canals allowed small barges and rafts to transport people and goods to every corner of this floating city.

The lake today is drained down to a gelatinous strata of mud which causes some buildings in modern day Mexico City to slowly sink below the street level on which they were built.

Answer: Chiapas

Palenque was the westernmost city-state of the Maya whose culture extended north and east into the Yucatan and modern Central America. Palenque's Palace is one of the most iconic representations of pre-Columbian architecture, its tower rising above the jungle allowing one to see the vast green expanse surrounding them.

Modern day Chiapas is one of the last places in Mexico where large enclaves of Mayan people still live. It is not uncommon to find many people there who speak Mayan exclusively and have only a rudimentary knowledge of Spanish.

Answer: Chacmool

Chacmool figures have been found from the central Mexico to Costa Rica. They are believed to be originally Mayan, but are also an important artifact of Aztec culture. The bowl on the belly is thought to have been used as a holder for offerings to the gods, which for the Aztecs sometimes meant the hearts of their sacrificial victims.