Where did the Maya live?

Southern Mexico and Central America

The Maya Civilization Quiz – Facts Worth Knowing

Take the Maya civilization quiz to explore Tikal, Chichén Itzá, Palenque, Maya writing, the calendar, chocolate and the ball game. Ten questions with facts worth knowing about the Maya of Mexico and Central America.

Start the Maya Civilization Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Region
Where did the Maya live?
Cities
Which Maya city in Guatemala has tall temples rising above the jungle?
Mexico
Which pyramid at Chichén Itzá casts a serpent shadow at the equinox?
Palenque
Which ruler was buried in the Temple of the Inscriptions?
Math
The Maya used a symbol for which number long before Europe?
Food
Which drink did the Maya make from cacao?
Sport
What was the Maya ball game played with?
Books
What are surviving Maya books called?
Decline
When did many southern Maya cities decline?
Today
How many Maya people live today?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Where did the Maya live?
Answer: Southern Mexico and Central America
Their lands included Guatemala, Belize and the Yucatán.
Q2: Which Maya city in Guatemala has tall temples rising above the jungle?
Answer: Tikal
Tikal was one of the most powerful Maya cities.
Q3: Which pyramid at Chichén Itzá casts a serpent shadow at the equinox?
Answer: El Castillo
The shadow looks like a snake descending the stairs.
Q4: Which ruler was buried in the Temple of the Inscriptions?
Answer: K'inich Janaab' Pakal
His jade mask was found in 1952.
Q5: The Maya used a symbol for which number long before Europe?
Answer: Zero
They used a shell symbol for zero.
Q6: Which drink did the Maya make from cacao?
Answer: Chocolate
Cacao beans were also used as money.
Q7: What was the Maya ball game played with?
Answer: A heavy rubber ball
Players used hips to hit the ball.
Q8: What are surviving Maya books called?
Answer: Codices
Only four survived Spanish burning.
Q9: When did many southern Maya cities decline?
Answer: Around AD 800-900
Drought and warfare were likely causes.
Q10: How many Maya people live today?
Answer: Millions
They speak about 30 Maya languages.

The Maya Civilization Quiz – The Maya World

The Maya civilization flourished in Mexico and Central America for more than 2,000 years. Its classic period, from about AD 250 to 900, saw great cities like Tikal, Palenque, Calakmul and Copán with temples, palaces and plazas.

The Maya developed a full writing system, an advanced calendar and mathematics with zero. They tracked Venus and the Sun and recorded history on stone monuments called stelae.

Many southern cities declined around AD 900, possibly due to drought and war, but northern cities like Chichén Itzá continued. Millions of Maya people today keep their languages and traditions alive.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is for history fans exploring the Maya.

Where the Maya lived
What El Castillo does
Who Pakal was
What the Maya invented
Why cities declined

Did You Know?

Lidar revealed thousands of Maya structures in 2018.
Maya blue paint was very durable.
Copán has a hieroglyphic stairway.
Cenotes were sacred wells.
The Popol Vuh tells Maya creation stories.