The Persistent Puebloans Trivia Quiz

Answer: Adobe

The Puebloans built their homes and towns out of stones, mud brick, and other materials from the earth (sand, silt, straw, clay) that are called adobe. These amazing structures consisted of many different rooms and apartments, and the arid temperature of the region made them extremely durable. All buildings had to meet a specific requirement - they had to be easily defended.

Answer: Maize

Even though there were many different clans of Puebloans in the American Southwest, with different languages and other cultural traits, one of the similar bonds between all was the fact that they grew maize, or corn. In fact, maize was not only an important food product. It was also ground into corn meal, which was used during prayer. A handful would be taken and spread on the object of the prayer, whether it be in regard to land or people, as a blessing.

Answer: Matrilineal

In the Puebloan matrilineal system, children were considered to be born into their mother's clan, and her family line was recognized for inheritance. Examples of those clans that traced descent from the mother's family were Hopi and Zuni. Other tribes, such as the non-Towa Tanoan, had a patrilineal system, which traced lineage through the father's family.

Answer: Pueblos

The first Spanish to arrive in the American Southwest called the communities that they found "pueblos", Spanish for town or village. Resembling apartment houses, the rooms were only entered by using a ladder that was lowered by residents. Some of the pueblos housed hundreds to thousands of people.

Answer: Dry farming

Dry farming is a type of agriculture that does not use irrigation. While the area might have rainfall during the winter months, there is no measurable precipitation during the growing season. It is important, therefore, to grow crops that use moisture that is stored in the soil. Maize, beans, squash, known as the Three Sisters, were the major crops of the Puebloans.

Answer: Mesa

Although it appears that they began (700-900) by building pit houses in cliffs, by 1050 the people began to construct higher apartment-type buildings. The most highly developed of the Puebloan communities were located on the tops of mesas, named for their table-top shape.

This location on the top of steep cliffs gave the communities extra security from hostile people. The largest mesa community is believed to be Pueblo Bonito in the Chaco Canyon of New Mexico, which contained approximately seven hundred rooms.

Answer: Endogamy

While some of the groups of Puebloans married within their clan (endogamy), others were expected to marry outside their clan, which is known as exogamy. In bands that practiced endogamy, the common assumption was that outsiders were not suitable members of the group; this practice, however, can eventually lead to genetic disorders. Of course, genetic disorders are not a problem among clans that practice exogamy.

In addition, it may be easier for such groups to form alliances and find trading partners.

Answer: Kiva

Kivas were normally built underground as ceremonial or meeting rooms, and were prominent in Puebloan architecture in the early phases of building. Built in different shapes and sizes by different Puebloan groups, there are two types that have been recognized by archaeologists: great kivas and regular kivas. Great kivas are bigger and deeper than regular kivas, and the walls extend above the surrounding land; regular kiva walls are flush with the landscape.

While great kivas are typically separate buildings, regular kivas are built into other houses.

Answer: Kachina

Important in the religious customs of some Puebloans, the kachina could be either a spirit, a dancer, or doll. It was believed that kachinas were the personification of things in the real world; it could represent an ancestor, location, or natural event, among other things.

The kachina dancers were masked individuals who represented those spirits at religious ceremonies, and kachina dolls were frequently given to young children, not as toys, but as part of their religious training and education.

Answer: Creation Myth

In the Puebloan creation myth, humans emerged from underground. They climbed through a hole toward the sunlight to get to earth. The gods guided them for many years, during which time they suffered through problems, such as drought and tornadoes. Finally, they were led to a good land, where they were taught to farm and grow corn.