“Package lua5.1 was not found in the pkg-config search path” on OSX

So I was trying to install Lua-GD on my macbook pro, but there was no OSX binary.

I figure, eh, I can build a package. So then I download the source and do the make dance. After a bit I get to:

Package lua5.1 was not found in the pkg-config search path.
Perhaps you should add the directory containing `lua5.1.pc'
to the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable
No package 'lua5.1' found

And that’s where I got stuck after several googles. The internets were unkind to this problem.

So I stepped away for a bit, and when I got back to the computer I decided I was probably approaching this from the wrong angle. At which point I did a search on macports and found lua-lua-gd.

Ratholes aren’t fun. Sometimes it’s best to take a step back instead of pounding a round peg into a square hole.