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

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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: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep446-sc See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.

Transcript: https://lexfridman.com/ed-barnhart-transcript

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EPISODE LINKS: Ed’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/@archaeoedpodcast Ed’s Website: https://archaeoed.com/ Maya Exploration Center: https://mayaexploration.org Ed’s Lectures on The Great Courses: https://thegreatcoursesplus.com/edwin-barnhart Ed’s Lectures on Audible: https://adbl.co/4dBavTZ 2025 Mayan Calendar: https://mayan-calendar.com/

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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

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