A chronology of key events

Life is difficult and dangerous for child miners working underground in Bolivia's Potosi mines, the BBC's Andres Schipani writes.

Genetic study suggests Latin Americans are descended from European men and Native American or African women.

A British explorer says a rare breed of dog with two noses found in Bolivia could be used for detecting drugs.

Scientists say they have found the remains of the first documented gunshot victim in the New World.

Indigenous leaders in Brazil reject the Pope's comments that their predecessors had longed to become Christian.

An ancient Aztec language will be taught in Mexico City in an attempt to recapture the city's indigenous roots.

Scientists learn about Inca civilisation by examining the mites that lived in the dung of llamas and other livestock.

BBC Europe editor Mark Mardell finds Turks wary of the Pope's historic visit and grapples with the religious row sparked by the pontiff's speech in Bavaria.

A Whiter Shade of Pale, a number one in 1967, is at the centre of a legal dispute. But what do the words mean?

Maria Esther de Capovilla of Ecuador - the world's oldest woman - dies of pneumonia at the age of 116.

The BBC's Duncan Kennedy spends time in the centre of Mexico City, where supporters of one of the presidential candidates have spent more than three weeks camping out to demand a full recount.

After turbulent relations with the tourism industry, Panama's Cuna Indians have opted to welcome tourists - but on their own terms.

Coca occupies a central role in Bolivian culture but is also the main ingredient of cocaine - causing different interests to collide.

BBC presenters Lourdes Heredia and Peter Okwoche compare men and their macho status in Mexico and Nigeria.

Evo Morales is sworn in as Bolivia's first indigenous president vowing to end "500 years of discrimination".

Actor and director Mel Gibson says his next film will shun "European faces" to keep it authentic.

US scientists say all modern varieties of potatoes derive from a common ancestor farmed in Peru 7,000 years ago.

Police appeal for witnesses after three men are stabbed outside a nightclub in Mayfair.

A minder who mugged footballer Dwight Yorke is jailed for three years.