| A | B |
|---|
| Maya | group of people native to the Yucatan Peninsula and parts of Central America |
| glyph | a symbolic character, usually carved |
| hieroglyphics | system of writing in which a picture or symbol represents a word, syllable or sound |
| conquistador | one of the Spanish conquerors of the Americas during the 16th century |
| archaeologist | one who studies the life and culture of ancient people by studying their monuments, artifacts, and inscriptions |
| artifact | any object made by human work |
| stela | an upright stone slab, carved with inscriptions |
| decompose | to break down or separate into basic parts |
| astronomer | one who studies stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies |
| quarry | a place where stone for building is excavated by cutting or blasting |
| relic | an object or custom that has survived from the past |
| sacbe | an ancient Maya footpath or road |
| mortar | a hard bowl in which softer substances are ground, usually with a pestle; a mixture of cement or lime with sand and water |
| coral polyp | a small marine animal with a soft, tube-shaped body and a mouth surrounded by tentacles |
| cenote | a deep natural well carved out of limestone; sinkhole |
| tropical forest | forest growing in the warm, rainy parts of the area between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, has a large variety of plant life |
