Quiz about The Musical Geography of Mexico

The Musical Geography of Mexico Quiz

I mostly know about the lovely land of Mexico through songs, but I quickly discovered I can find out about the land through that music. Answer these questions inspired by Mexico-themed music!

A multiple-choice quiz by merylfederman. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
merylfederman

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
362,709

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
2412

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Hawkmoon1307 (4/10), Lynndy2023 (6/10), james1947 (10/10).

This quiz has 2 formats: you can play it as a or as shown below.
Scroll down to the bottom for the answer key.

1. Being from the United States, to get to Mexico I take Duran Duran's advice and "dance across" this famous river to traverse the border from Texas into Mexico. Which river is this that Duran Duran sang of? Hint

Rio Grande

Sonora

San Fernando

Rio del Oro

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2. Now that we're in Mexico, let's turn to the national anthem for guidance. Here's something promising - "their ruins will live to say..." refers to ruins, which we know are interesting sites. But to understand the ruins, we'll need to look to the land itself. Teotihuacan is a beautiful city of ruins, with an angled urban grid at about 15.5 degrees. This is angled to align with which mountain, the highest in Mexico? Hint

Popocat�petl

Cerro el Potosi

Iztacc�huatl

Orizaba

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3. The Mexican national anthem also mentions "mountains and valleys" more generally (besides any that specifically deal with ruined cities) but tell me, which of these mountain ranges is not at all within Mexico and therefore could NOT be applied to the anthem? Hint

Sierra Madre Occidental

Cordillera Neovolc�nica

Apennines

Sierra Madre Oriental

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4. Well, what about the valleys mentioned in the national anthem - which of these is the common name for the valley where Mexico City is situated? Hint

Valley on High

Valley of the Damned

Valley of Death

Valley of Heaven

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5. Both Tom Lehrer and Elvis Presley love Guadalajara and have sung about it. Which valley is this city found in? Hint

Baja

Atemajac

Mexico

Fortitude

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6. The Propellerheads sang of "the dust of Baja, California," but if you were in the Mexican state of Baja California, which desert could you NOT visit? Hint

Sonoran

Atacama

Vizcaino

Central

NEXT>

7. Lots of people have sung about the fateful city of Tijuana, but Gomez in particular asked "Tijuana lady, where did you go". If you knew someone had gone to Tijuana, what geographical fact would be true of describing their location? Hint

Southernmost city of Latin America

Lowest city of Latin America

Hottest city of Latin America

Westernmost city of Latin America

NEXT>

8. Brian Setzer may have "left his soul in the Aztec sand," but if you were to leave your soul in Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital city, what would be the geographic significance of your choice? Hint

Your soul is on a mountain

Your soul is on a peninsula

Your soul is on an island in a drained lake

Your soul is in a volcano

NEXT>

9. The Stranglers found inspiration in "Mayan skies," but if you were to do the same by going to the area in the Mayan empire, which of these peninsulas COULD you go to? Hint

Baja, California

Yucatan

Punta Allen

Punta Cometa

NEXT>

10. One last visit to the national anthem before we leave Mexico - there are many trees referred to in the anthem, which makes me think. Which forest in Mexico is the largest mountainous rainforest in North America, and is largely within the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve? Hint

Lacandon Jungle

Sierra Madre de Oaxaca

Bosque el Nixticuil

Selva Zoque

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Rio Grande

The Rio Grande is the "big river" and natural border between Texas and several Mexican states. The Rio Grande empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Also, Duran Duran had a song "Rio" about a girl named "Rio," who is likened to the river for her mystery and grace.

Answer: Orizaba

Orizaba, technically not in view of this city (smaller mountain ranges block it) was usable as the alignment focal point for Teotihuacan because of the marking systems that the Aztecs used in constructing their city over its large distances.

Answer: Apennines

The Apennines are Italian - and not to be confused with the Peninsular Ranges, which are in fact within the nation of Mexico. The other three choices are all Mexican ranges that in fact meet each other at various points.

4. Well, what about the valleys mentioned in the national anthem - which of these is the common name for the valley where Mexico City is situated?

Answer: Valley of the Damned

The Valley of Mexico, or Valley of the Damned, houses Mexico City and is actually a valley within the high plateaus of central Mexico - so while it is a valley, it's still far above sea level, a whopping 2,240 meters above, in fact.

5. Both Tom Lehrer and Elvis Presley love Guadalajara and have sung about it. Which valley is this city found in?

Answer: Atemajac

Guadalajara was founded in Atemajac Valley, and is now considered one of Mexico's most business-friendly and economically mobile city. The valley was a safe place to move for official founding of the city, and has evidently stayed so!

6. The Propellerheads sang of "the dust of Baja, California," but if you were in the Mexican state of Baja California, which desert could you NOT visit?

Answer: Atacama

The Atacama is the famously, record-breakingly dry desert of Chile, while the Sonoran, Vizcaino, and Central deserts flank the mountains along Baja California.

Answer: Westernmost city of Latin America

As the gateway between California and Mexico basically on the Pacific Ocean, you can't get further west than that - and since Latin America all curves east south of Mexico, this is the westernmost point you'll find on the entire region.

8. Brian Setzer may have "left his soul in the Aztec sand," but if you were to leave your soul in Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital city, what would be the geographic significance of your choice?

Answer: Your soul is on an island in a drained lake

Tenochtitlan was built on an island in Texcoco, which has since been largely drained, within the Valley of Mexico. Texcoco was the lowest of all lakes in this area.

9. The Stranglers found inspiration in "Mayan skies," but if you were to do the same by going to the area in the Mayan empire, which of these peninsulas COULD you go to?

Answer: Yucatan

The Yucatan peninsula was a part of the geographical extent of the Mayan civilization, as were southern Mexico and much of Central America.

Answer: Lacandon Jungle

The Lacandon Jungle is a hotly disputed rainforest in Mexico, where Mayan descendants, conservationists, and oil-seekers all stake a claim, but in any case it is a massive area of biodiversity, containing over 25% of all animal species in the nation.

Source: Author merylfederman

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Tizzabelle before going online.
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Mar 30 2023 : Hawkmoon1307: 4/10
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