Ed Barnhart: Maya, Aztec, Inca, and Lost Civilizations of South America | Lex Fridman Podcast #446

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-sb See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. *Transcript:* https://lexfridman.com/ed-barnhart-transcript *CONTACT LEX:* *Feedback* - give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey *AMA* - submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama *Hiring* - join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring *Other* - other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact *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/ *SPONSORS:* To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: *MasterClass:* Online classes from world-class experts. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/masterclass-ep446-sb *Shopify:* Sell stuff online. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep446-sb *NetSuite:* Business management software. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/netsuite-ep446-sb *AG1:* All-in-one daily nutrition drinks. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/ag1-ep446-sb *Notion:* Note-taking and team collaboration. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/notion-ep446-sb *OUTLINE:* 0:00 - Introduction 1:39 - Lost civilizations 8:43 - Hunter-gatherers 12:16 - First humans in the Americas 22:07 - South America 27:36 - Pyramids 34:40 - Religion 47:44 - Shamanism 49:41 - Ayahuasca 55:54 - Lost City of Z 1:00:48 - Graham Hancock 1:07:51 - Uncontacted tribes 1:13:51 - Maya civilization 1:29:40 - Mayan calendar 1:44:57 - Flood myths 2:13:25 - Aztecs 2:30:52 - Inca Empire 2:48:52 - Early humans in North America 2:54:50 - Columbus 2:59:26 - Vikings 3:03:35 - Aliens 3:08:02 - Earth in 10,000 years 3:24:12 - Hope for the future *PODCAST LINKS:* - Podcast Website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast - Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr - Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 - RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ - Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 - Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/lexclips *SOCIAL LINKS:* - X: https://x.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://instagram.com/lexfridman - TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://facebook.com/lexfridman - Patreon: https://patreon.com/lexfridman - Telegram: https://t.me/lexfridman - Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/lexfridman