Peruvian History and Politics

Ancient Peru and the Inca

29 practice questions, each with the answer and an explanation.

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Random questions from this topic, one at a time. You see the answer and the explanation straight after each one.

All 29 questions

  1. In which valley on Peru's central coast are the ruins of Caral, one of the oldest cities in the Americas, found?
  2. Which ancient ceremonial site in the Ancash highlands contains the carved stone Lanzón, the image of a fanged deity inside its temple?
  3. The Nazca Lines, giant figures such as the hummingbird and the monkey, were drawn in the desert of which part of Peru?
  4. The Moche culture of the northern coast is best known for which of the following achievements?
  5. What was the capital of the Inca Empire?
  6. The Inca called their empire Tawantinsuyu. What does this name mean?
  7. Which ruler is generally credited with turning Cusco into the centre of a large empire from about 1438, and with building Machu Picchu as a royal estate?
  8. What was a quipu used for in the Andes?
  9. What was the Inca mit'a?
  10. What were the chasquis in the Inca Empire?
  11. Which network of roads, about 30,000 km long, joined the parts of the Inca Empire and was listed by UNESCO in 2014?
  12. Which culture, centred near modern Ayacucho, built a large state in the Andes before the Inca and is known as the Wari?
  13. Which kingdom, with its capital at Chan Chan near modern Trujillo, was conquered by the Inca around 1470?
  14. What is the title of the emperor of the Inca, the single ruler of Tawantinsuyu?
  15. Which northern highland city, in 1532, was the scene of Francisco Pizarro's capture of the Inca ruler Atahualpa?
  16. Which sequence lists these cultures from the earliest to the latest?
  17. Atahualpa was captured at Cajamarca in 1532. Which statement about the circumstances is correct?
  18. Where did Manco Inca, who led a revolt against the Spanish in 1536, set up a last Inca stronghold in the forested mountains?
  19. Who was Túpac Amaru I?
  20. What are andenes in the Andes?
  21. Which Inca site, in the Sacred Valley, was the place of a notable Inca victory over the Spanish in 1537 during the revolt of Manco Inca?
  22. Which statement about the Inca Empire's early years under Pachacuti is accurate?
  23. Which culture of the south coast, famous for dry-desert burials, is known for its richly embroidered textiles wrapped around mummy bundles?
  24. Spain's colonial rule in Peru is usually counted from the Viceroyalty of 1542 to the Battle of Ayacucho in 1824. About how many years is that?
  25. Which statement correctly separates the two men named Túpac Amaru in Peruvian history?
  26. Which order lists these events from the earliest to the latest?
  27. Besides Spanish, which languages does the constitution recognise as official in the areas where they predominate?
  28. Which words open the national anthem of Peru, written in 1821?
  29. How was the long border dispute between Peru and Ecuador finally settled?

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