Before Christopher Columbus led his marauding band of barbarians to the continent which is now known as America, there were many indigenous civilizations which inhabited Mexico, Central America and South America. The name Meso-America is sometimes used for the combination of Mexico and Central America.

Meso-America

Aztec

These guys went in for blood in a big way. They liked to sacrifice live hearts to the gods.

Toltec

The people who built Mexico City, before the Aztecs took over.

Olmec

This mysterious people built giant stone heads in the jungle. The features on the heads have often been compared to Black African rather than American Indian, making us wonder who were the Olmecs.

Maya

The Maya lived in the Yucatan peninsula. They were the most sophisticated mathematically of all the cultures of Meso-America.

South America

Inca or Quechua

The Inca was originally the ruler of the Quechua people, but now the name Inca is normally used for the people.

Nazca

The Nazca built giant stone shapes in the desert.