--- a/configure.ac	
+++ a/configure.ac	
@@ -126,6 +126,12 @@ AC_SUBST(GTK_LIBS)
 GTK_VERSION=`$PKG_CONFIG --variable=gtk_binary_version gtk+-2.0`
 AC_SUBST(GTK_VERSION)
 
+PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LUA, lua,,
+                  AC_MSG_ERROR([lua is required to compile gtk-engines]))
+
+AC_SUBST(LUA_CFLAGS)
+AC_SUBST(LUA_LIBS)
+
 AC_SUBST(BUILD_ENGINES)
 AC_SUBST(BUILD_THEMES)
 AC_SUBST(BUILD_SCHEMAS)
--- a/engines/lua/Makefile.am	
+++ a/engines/lua/Makefile.am	
@@ -23,8 +23,7 @@ NULL =
 
 INCLUDES = \
 	-I$(top_srcdir)/engines/support \
-	-I$(top_srcdir)/engines/lua/src/liblua \
-	$(GTK_CFLAGS) $(DEVELOPMENT_CFLAGS) \
+	$(GTK_CFLAGS) $(LUA_CFLAGS) $(DEVELOPMENT_CFLAGS) \
 	$(NULL)
 
 enginedir = $(libdir)/gtk-2.0/$(GTK_VERSION)/engines
@@ -44,62 +43,10 @@ libluaengine_la_SOURCES = \
 	./src/main.c \
 	./src/misc_utils.c \
 	./src/misc_utils.h \
-	./src/liblua/lapi.h \
-	./src/liblua/lauxlib.h \
-	./src/liblua/lcode.h \
-	./src/liblua/ldebug.h \
-	./src/liblua/ldo.h \
-	./src/liblua/lfunc.h \
-	./src/liblua/lgc.h \
-	./src/liblua/llex.h \
-	./src/liblua/llimits.h \
-	./src/liblua/lmem.h \
-	./src/liblua/lobject.h \
-	./src/liblua/lopcodes.h \
-	./src/liblua/lparser.h \
-	./src/liblua/lstate.h \
-	./src/liblua/lstring.h \
-	./src/liblua/ltable.h \
-	./src/liblua/ltm.h \
-	./src/liblua/lua.h \
-	./src/liblua/luaconf.h \
-	./src/liblua/lualib.h \
-	./src/liblua/lundump.h \
-	./src/liblua/lvm.h \
-	./src/liblua/lzio.h \
-	./src/liblua/lapi.c \
-	./src/liblua/lcode.c \
-	./src/liblua/ldebug.c \
-	./src/liblua/ldo.c \
-	./src/liblua/ldump.c \
-	./src/liblua/lfunc.c \
-	./src/liblua/lgc.c \
-	./src/liblua/liolib.c \
-	./src/liblua/llex.c \
-	./src/liblua/lmem.c \
-	./src/liblua/lobject.c \
-	./src/liblua/lopcodes.c \
-	./src/liblua/loslib.c \
-	./src/liblua/lparser.c \
-	./src/liblua/lstate.c \
-	./src/liblua/lstring.c \
-	./src/liblua/lstrlib.c \
-	./src/liblua/ltable.c \
-	./src/liblua/ltablib.c \
-	./src/liblua/ltm.c \
-	./src/liblua/lundump.c \
-	./src/liblua/lvm.c \
-	./src/liblua/lzio.c \
-	./src/liblua/lauxlib.c \
-	./src/liblua/lbaselib.c \
-	./src/liblua/ldblib.c \
-	./src/liblua/lmathlib.c \
-	./src/liblua/loadlib.c \
-	./src/liblua/linit.c \
 	$(NULL)
 
 libluaengine_la_LDFLAGS = -module -avoid-version -no-undefined -export-symbols $(top_srcdir)/engines/engine.symbols
-libluaengine_la_LIBADD = $(top_builddir)/engines/support/libsupport.la $(GTK_LIBS)
+libluaengine_la_LIBADD = $(top_builddir)/engines/support/libsupport.la $(GTK_LIBS) $(LUA_LIBS)
 
 -include $(top_srcdir)/git.mk