Andes A mountain range running the length of western South America. The Inca civilization flourished in the Andes before the arrival of Europeans.

Atlatl A piece of wood used as a spear-thrower, allowing hunters to propel spears with more force.

Aztecs A people that dominated Central America from AD 1200 to 1519. Their empire was based around the city of Tenochtitlán in what is now Mexico. They often went to war and would gather captives from the defeated to sacrifice to their gods. The Aztec Empire was destroyed by the Spanish in the 16th century.

Ball games A popular Aztec and Maya activity. Two teams of players tried to knock a ball through a ring using only their forearms, hips and thighs. One theory is that members of the losing team were sacrificed to the gods.

Cacao A tree grown for its beans, used by the Maya both for making drinking chocolate and as a form of money to buy goods at markets.

Chavin civilization A civilization that flourished in northern Peru from around 1200 to 200 BC. Their culture was based on fishing, farming and hunting.

Chimu civilization A civilization that ruled parts of Peru from AD 900 to 1470. The Chimu made beautiful craftwork and worshipped the Moon.

Chinampas “Floating gardens” separated by narrow canals. Made from mud and vegetation built up from the shallow lake bottom, these artificial islands were used to grow crops. There were many chinampas surrounding the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlán.

Conquistador The Spanish word for “conqueror” and used to describe the Spaniards who conquered the Indian civilizations in the Americas.

Glyph A pictorial symbol used in Mayan writing.

Huari A civilization from the north of Peru. It was at its height around AD 800 and was a fierce rival of the Tiahuanaco people.

Inca A formidable empire that ruled much of western South America in the 15th and 16th centuries AD. The Incas built up a vast empire by conquest, then governed their people firmly. They worshipped the Sun and called themselves “children of the Sun”. Many of their stone roads still exist today. The Inca Empire was defeated by the Spanish in the 16th century.

Jade A hard, greenish stone used for making ornaments, including jewellery and carvings.

Jaguar knight An Aztec warrior who wore the skins, head, jaws and teeth of a jaguar and carried a wooden club edged with sharp blades called a macahuitl. Only the finest warriors became jaguar knights. They were highly respected and feared.

Machu Picchu An ancient Inca fortress city high in the Andes mountains. It was built in about the 15th century AD and not discovered by the rest of the world until 1911.

Maya civilization An advanced civilization that flourished in Central America from the 3rd century BC to the 10th century AD. As their civilization expanded, they built huge temple-pyramids and palaces. The Maya became advanced in branches of astronomy and mathematics and developed a complete writing system.

Mesoamerica A region in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to northern Costa Rica in Central America, in which several civilizations flourished before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.

Milpa A plot of land cleared of forest and used for growing maize. In Maya lands, the soil quickly became infertile, so after two years the forest was allowed to grow back, while new milpas were made.

Moche civilization A civilization that flourished in northern Peru from AD 100 to 800. The Moche were brilliant potters and metalworkers with a kingdom of thousands of people. Moche rulers were rich and powerful warrior-priests, who often led their people to war.

Moctezuma II The last of the Aztec emperors. He was probably assassinated by the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortés in 1520.

Nazca A system of valleys that runs across southern Peru. The Nazca culture developed there between 300 BC and AD 800.

Nazca lines A series of pictures carved into the ground in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. Each image, usually of an animal, is of gigantic proportions and can only be seen properly from the air. No one knows what the pictures mean but they may have played a part in a Nazca religious ritual.

Oaxaca A region of Mexico that has been settled since about 11,000 BC, and where farming first began in North America (about 2000 BC). Oaxaca was home to both the Zapotecs, who founded their capital at Monte Albán in 500 BC, and the Mixtecs. The peoples fought each other for dominance until the region was conquered by the Aztecs in the 15th century.

Obsidian A volcanic glassy rock, usually dark coloured. The Maya used it to make sharp knives and spear points.

Olmec civilization A civilization that developed between 1200 and 300 BC. The Olmecs lived in swampy lands near the Gulf of Mexico. They did not go to war but flourished through trade. Their stepped pyramid temples were adopted by later ancient American civilizations.

Plaza An open space between buildings.

Pre-Columbian era The history (and prehistory) of the Americas before the arrival of Europeans, that is, the time before Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas in 1492.

Pyramid of the Sun A huge pyramid built in central Mexico in the 1st century AD. It was built over a cave where the Sun was said to have been born. The city of Teothihuacán was later built around it.

Quechua The language of the Incas.

Quetzal A blue-green bird of the Central American rainforest. Its very long tail-feathers were highly prized by the Maya.

Quipu Plied strands of llama hair with knots, used by the Incas to perform simple arithmetic.

Roof comb An extension built on top of a temple, decorated with painted carvings.

Sapa Inca The leader of the Inca people. The Sapa Inca not only ruled everything but was believed to be a descendant of the Sun god, Inti. Inca means “emperor” and sapa means “only”.

Stela An upright slab or stone with inscriptions carved on it. The plural of stela is stelae.

Temple-pyramid A stepped platform on top of which a temple or an altar was built.

Tenochtitlán The most important city in the Aztec Empire. Founded in AD 1325, the city covered about 15 square kilometres (8 square miles). It was built on an island in Lake Texcoco.

Teotihuacán The name of an ancient American civilization and their capital city. Teotihuacán is sometimes referred to as “the city of the gods”.

Tiahuanaco civilization A civilization that was based near Lake Titicaca, high in the Andes. It was at its most powerful between AD 500 and 1000.

Consultant: Philip Parker