Guided Reading 11-2
T/F Mesoamerica is a name we use for areas of Alaska and Canada.
False. Mesoamerica is a name we use for areas of Mexico and Central America that were civilized before the Spaniards arrived.
T/F Rulers of the Mayan city-states claimed to be descended from the Spanish conquerors that invaded their country.
False. Rulers of the Mayan city-states claimed to be descended from the gods.
T/F When the Aztec saw the Spanish with a cross on their breastplates, they thought that representatives from the Church in Rome had arrived.
False. The Aztec thought that representatives of of the god Quetzalcoatl had returned.
T/F The Maya built very crude and primitive structures as places of worship.
False. The Maya built splendid temples and pyramids and even developed a complicated calendar.
T/F The Toltec were a peace-loving people who rarely strayed into lands other than their own.
False. The Toltec were a fierce and warlike people who extended their conquests into Mayan lands.
T/F The name of the supreme god of the Mayans was Thor, god of Thunder.
False. The name of the supreme god of the Mayans was Itzamna (Lizard house).
T/F According to their legends, when the Aztec arrived in the Valley of Mexico, other peoples drove them into a snake-infested region.
True.
T/F In Central America, the Maya practiced human sacrifice as a way to appease the gods.
True.
T/F Mayan cities were built around a central pyramid topped by a religious shrine.
True.
T/F The Maya created a sophisticated writing system based on hieroglyphs, or pictures.
True.
T/F The Olmec people carved colossal stone heads, probably to represent their gods.
True.