The religions of great civilizations of the past such as Aztec, Mayan, Inca, the shamanic practices of the Amazonian and Andean tribes, constitute only a part of the fascinating and very rich heritage of South America. Meso and South American cultures have imbued the world of arts, literature and sciences with their variety of forms and expressions, still leaving many unsolved questions that this dictionary can help to fill. By South America is meant the whole of Mesoamerica and South America which on a old "colonial" concept create Latin America. In fact, North America, characterized by American Natives, occupies Canada, the United States and the north of actual Mexico (which is part of the so-called "desert civilizations"). Mesoamerica and the Andean world are characterized by monumental civilizations such as Olmecs, Toltecs, Aztecs, Maya, from the pre-Inca and Inca kingdoms. These civilizations, now disappeared, had many common elements that have left legacies in the current hybridization of Mexico, Central America and the Andes, while important indigenous realities, heirs of ancient traditions such as those of the Amazon and the extreme south of the continent, are absolutely alive and constantly struggle for their survival. They are civilizations that today constitute one of the largest fields of study in archeology and anthropology: myths and symbols chase each other over the centuries and travel from one area to another.