#446 – Ed Barnhart: Maya, Aztec, Inca, and Lost Civilizations of South America

Ed Barnhart is an archaeologist and explorer specializing in ancient civilizations of the Americas. He is the Director of the Maya Exploration Center, host of the ArchaeoEd Podcast, and lecturer on the ancient history of North, Central, and South America. Ed is in part known for his groundbreaking work on ancient astronomy, mathematics, and calendar systems.

Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep446-sc

See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.

Transcript:

lexfridman.com/ed-barnhart-transcript

CONTACT LEX:

Feedback – give feedback to Lex: lexfridman.com/survey

AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: lexfridman.com/ama

Hiring – join our team: lexfridman.com/hiring

Other – other ways to get in touch: lexfridman.com/contact

EPISODE LINKS:

Ed’s YouTube: youtube.com/@archaeoedpodcast

Ed’s Website: archaeoed.com

Maya Exploration Center: mayaexploration.org

Ed’s Lectures on The Great Courses: thegreatcoursesplus.com/edwin-barnhart

Ed’s Lectures on Audible: adbl.co/4dBavTZ

2025 Mayan Calendar: mayan-calendar.com

SPONSORS:

To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts:

MasterClass: Online classes from world-class experts.

Go to masterclass.com/lexpod (lexfridman.com/s/masterclass-ep446-sc)

Shopify: Sell stuff online.

Go to shopify.com/lex (lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep446-sc)

NetSuite: Business management software.

Go to netsuite.com/lex (lexfridman.com/s/netsuite-ep446-sc)

AG1: All-in-one daily nutrition drinks.

Go to drinkag1.com/lex (lexfridman.com/s/ag1-ep446-sc)

Notion: Note-taking and team collaboration.

Go to notion.com/lex (lexfridman.com/s/notion-ep446-sc)

OUTLINE:

(00:00) – Introduction

(08:59) – Lost civilizations

(16:04) – Hunter-gatherers

(19:36) – First humans in the Americas

(29:28) – South America

(34:57) – Pyramids

(42:01) – Religion

(55:05) – Shamanism

(57:02) – Ayahuasca

(1:03:15) – Lost City of Z

(1:08:09) – Graham Hancock

(1:15:11) – Uncontacted tribes

(1:21:12) – Maya civilization

(1:37:00) – Mayan calendar

(1:52:17) – Flood myths

(2:20:46) – Aztecs

(2:38:12) – Inca Empire

(2:56:13) – Early humans in North America

(3:02:10) – Columbus

(3:06:46) – Vikings

(3:10:55) – Aliens

(3:15:23) – Earth in 10,000 years

(3:31:33) – Hope for the future

PODCAST LINKS:

– Podcast Website: lexfridman.com/podcast

– Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2lwqZIr

– Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4YxYacqJmToKNdYO6b7Oxa

– RSS: lexfridman.com/feed/podcast

– Podcast Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8Gzts…

– Clips Channel: youtube.com/lexclips