#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: 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 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://masterclass.com/lexpod Shopify: Sell stuff online. Go to https://shopify.com/lex NetSuite: Business management software. Go to http://netsuite.com/lex AG1: All-in-one daily nutrition drinks. Go to https://drinkag1.com/lex Notion: Note-taking and team collaboration. Go to https://notion.com/lex 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) &#821