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.