1. “Pre-Columbian” thus refers to the period in the Americas before the arrival of Columbus. 2. The area extends approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua in diverse pre-Columbian civilizations. 3. Some of the shared cultural traits among Mesoamerican peoples included a complex pantheon of deities, architectural features, and a ballgame. 4. An anthropologist named Paul Kirchkoff first used the term “Mesoamerica” in 1943 to designate these geographical areas as having shared cultural traits prior to the invasion of Europeans, and the term has remained. 5. Rebus writing is writing with images used to communicate. 6. The 260-day calendar was a ritual calendar, with 20 months of 13 days. Based on the sun, the 365-day calendar had 18 months of 20 days, with five “extra” nameless days in the end. It was the count of time used for agriculture. 7. Deities that had important roles across Mesoamerica included a storm/rain god and a feathered serpent deity. 8. Solid rubber balls were passed between players (no hands allowed!), with the goal of hitting them through markers. Players wore padded garments to protect their bodies from the hardball. 9. The first function is visual art. Visual arts played a similarly dynamic role in the preindustrial state, especially in those lacking a popular understood writing system. For example, an Aztec could recognize the rank and military exploits of a man by his dress, and at a glance evaluate the power of his temples and sculptures. The second function is nature. Mesoamericans believed nature was controlled through religion by the aristocracy. Nature was in the hands of gods and sought to control the gods through rituals. Some rituals were believed to have an immediate and automatic effect. If children cried it was believed that the god Tlaloc would give them automatic rain. Another function is manufactured goods. In the Aztec empire, they needed items for religious worships such as deity images, incense burners, and sacrificial incense. Big statues for the temples were often made with precious materials. The last function is monuments. Monuments used were built to communicate through scale. For example, the Olmecs carved portraits of their rulers in huge stone boulders and buried huge quantities of greenstone in the ground. In later times rulers would show off their power by building a huge temple or palace and by erecting towering statues.

Which of the Following is Not an Example of Mesoamerican Art

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