Mesoamerican Cultures

The Olmecs are among the earliest cultures of Mesoamerica and predated all of the other answers - as well as developing the salient social features - so they would be the best answer. The Maya appear to follow the Olmec by approximately five centuries, so while they were an early and influential civilization, they would not be the best answer. The Aztec came to power in the 14th century, so they too would not be a good answer. Lastly, the Inca were a long-lasting civilization, but they were not Mesoamerican, so they would not be the best answer.

The macuahuitl is a common Aztec weapon consisting of a wooden blade with obsidian shards as a cutting surface.

Monte Alban, one of the first great cities of Mesoamerica, was the center of the Zapotec civilization. It is located in present-day Oaxaca, Mexico. Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Tikal and Copan were important Maya centers.

The chinampa was an extension of land into a fresh body of water that the Aztecs built to grow crops. They were built of lake sediments formed in rectangular shapes and were used to grow crops like tomatoes, maize, squash, beans and chili peppers. At the time of the Spanish conquest, an extensive system of chinampas was found in Lake Texcoco and Lake Xochimilco, which is presently Mexico City. Today both tourists and Mexicans alike enjoy rides in brightly colored boats called trajineras through Xochimilco's chinampas and canals.

The Olmec colossal heads are one of the most recognizable features of their art and culture. Carved from volcanic basalt, the heads are believed to represent rulers of the Olmec people, often dressed as ballplayers.

The Aztecs were actually an alliance of the city states of Texcoco, Tlacopan, and Tenochtitlan. Speakers of the Nahuatl language, the states in central Mexico came to dominate other cities throughout the region through demands of tribute. The primary city-state in the alliance was Tenochtitlan.

Grains like wheat and barley were brought over by the Spaniards in times of colonization. The other choices were common crops in Mesoamerica. Chinampa_,_ sediment formations, were used to produce the crops of the other choices.

A high regard for preparing for the afterlife was more characteristic of the Egyptians, rather than cultures of Mesoamerica. Mesoamerican cultures were more characteristic of the cosmos and religion. The other answers are correct characteristics of Mesoamerican cultures.

Moctezuma was the leader of the Aztec Empire when the Spanish arrived, so that would be the best answer. The Mayan Empire also existed during that time but they did no have a leader by that name, so they would not be a good choice. The Olmec civilization had declined and been subsumed into the Aztec Empire by then, so they too would not be a good choice. The Inca were not based in modern-day Mexico, so they would not be the best answer here. And the Algonquin were in North America, so they too would not be a good answer.

Quetzalcoatl was a deity revered by many Mesoamerican cultures including the Aztec, Toltec and Olmec. His name in Maya language is Kukulcán, but the name "Quetzalcoatl" is from the Nahuatl language, meaning "feathered serpent. " Depictions and imagery of Quetzalcoatl appear in many sites in Mesoamerica.