Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish conquistador who was shipwrecked in Florida in 1527 and walked his way to Mexico.  He and his companions were lost for 8 years!  This is his story.

Support the show

Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed

Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com

Bars and Dots, Maya date calculator software - https://www.barsanddots.com

Ed's day job is Director of Maya Exploration Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit 
https://www.mayaexploration.org 

Check out Ed's YouTube Channel, Archaeologist Ed Barnhart

https://www.youtube.com/@Ed_Barnhart 

The final chapter of How I Mapped Palenque!  In this episode the team photo documents Palenque's hidden architecture, Ed drives an invisible car over the Belizean border, and three years of the Palenque Mapping Project comes to a celebratory end.

Support the show

Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed

Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com

Bars and Dots, Maya date calculator software - https://www.barsanddots.com

Ed's day job is Director of Maya Exploration Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit 
https://www.mayaexploration.org 

Check out Ed's YouTube Channel, Archaeologist Ed Barnhart

https://www.youtube.com/@Ed_Barnhart 

In this episode, the mapping crew explores eastern Palenque, finding a hidden waterfall and a massive building hiding right next to a tourist campground.  They also have more run ins with the landowners of the west.

Support the show

Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed

Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com

Bars and Dots, Maya date calculator software - https://www.barsanddots.com

Ed's day job is Director of Maya Exploration Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit 
https://www.mayaexploration.org 

Check out Ed's YouTube Channel, Archaeologist Ed Barnhart

https://www.youtube.com/@Ed_Barnhart 

Part 8 of the story behind the Palenque Mapping Project.  In this episode, the team climbs waterfalls, encounters a Maya giant, and maps their way towards the eastern edge of Palenque.

Support the show

Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed

Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com

Bars and Dots, Maya date calculator software - https://www.barsanddots.com

Ed's day job is Director of Maya Exploration Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit 
https://www.mayaexploration.org 

Check out Ed's YouTube Channel, Archaeologist Ed Barnhart

https://www.youtube.com/@Ed_Barnhart 

Part 7 in the 9 part story of how I mapped Palenque.  In this episode, you'll hear about hidden caves, feats of ancient hydraulic engineering, and naked women.

Support the show

Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed

Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com

Bars and Dots, Maya date calculator software - https://www.barsanddots.com

Ed's day job is Director of Maya Exploration Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit 
https://www.mayaexploration.org 

Check out Ed's YouTube Channel, Archaeologist Ed Barnhart

https://www.youtube.com/@Ed_Barnhart 

What was the nature of Ancestral Pueblo religion?  That question is more difficult than you may expect.  Join Ed as he sorts through the theories and evidence.

Support the show

Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed

Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com

Bars and Dots, Maya date calculator software - https://www.barsanddots.com

Ed's day job is Director of Maya Exploration Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit 
https://www.mayaexploration.org 

Check out Ed's YouTube Channel, Archaeologist Ed Barnhart

https://www.youtube.com/@Ed_Barnhart 

The Ancestral Pueblo of what's now called the American Southwest mastered the art of living in dry and arid conditions.  Their ability to adapt their settlement patterns in response to climate change was key to their success. As a civilization, they thrived for at least 800 years before the Spanish arrived and screwed everything up for them.

The Stones are Speaking - find the documentary at www.gaultfilm.com 

Maya Exploration Center 2026 tours - www.mayaexploration.org

Support the show

Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed

Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com

Bars and Dots, Maya date calculator software - https://www.barsanddots.com

Ed's day job is Director of Maya Exploration Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit 
https://www.mayaexploration.org 

Check out Ed's YouTube Channel, Archaeologist Ed Barnhart

https://www.youtube.com/@Ed_Barnhart 

Does it bother you when people use a bunch of industry specific jargon to make themselves sounds smart?  Join Ed as he explains some archaeological terminology and his love/hate relationship with it.

Check out Land Without a Continent on Matt Savino's website:

https://mattsavino.com/ 

Support the show

Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed

Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com

Bars and Dots, Maya date calculator software - https://www.barsanddots.com

Ed's day job is Director of Maya Exploration Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit 
https://www.mayaexploration.org 

Check out Ed's YouTube Channel, Archaeologist Ed Barnhart

https://www.youtube.com/@Ed_Barnhart 

Story time at ArchaeoEd.  Once upon a time, Ed almost lost his life on an Indian reservation in Wyoming.

Support the show

Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed

Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com

Bars and Dots, Maya date calculator software - https://www.barsanddots.com

Ed's day job is Director of Maya Exploration Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit 
https://www.mayaexploration.org 

Check out Ed's YouTube Channel, Archaeologist Ed Barnhart

https://www.youtube.com/@Ed_Barnhart 

Rapa Nui is one of the world's most remote islands and home to an amazing ancient civilization.  Actually not that ancient - the Rapa Nui people are still here and remember their past through oral tradition.  Ed's just back from the island with fresh perspectives to share.

Support the show

Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed

Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com

Bars and Dots, Maya date calculator software - https://www.barsanddots.com

Ed's day job is Director of Maya Exploration Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit 
https://www.mayaexploration.org 

Check out Ed's YouTube Channel, Archaeologist Ed Barnhart

https://www.youtube.com/@Ed_Barnhart