Day of the Dead is a captivating and globally celebrated holiday. Accompany Ed on a journey through its rich origins, his personal encounters with this vibrant tradition in Latin America, and discover how you too can participate in its wonderful traditions.

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

When it comes to lost ancient cities that everyone wants to find, El Dorado runs a close 2nd to Atlantis.  Did it really exist?  Join Ed as he tries to unravel 500 years of stories and expedition accounts.  

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

Ever wonder how Ed became an archaeologist?  Well here's the story.  The year was 1990 and the place was Copan, Honduras.  A field school experience for the record books!

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

Fact - Peru's first pyramids are earlier than Egypt's  Not only did they start earlier, they were built for centuries longer.  Join Ed as the explains Peru's first  civilizations from 3500-200 BCE.

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

3500 years ago, Poverty Point was a thriving city of over 5000 people in the bayous of northern Louisiana.  Despite not having agriculture or even ceramics, those people built North America's 2nd largest pyramid-mound.

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 the Palenque Mapping Project, Season 1.  More snakes, more temples, and a robbery at gun point!  I got by with a little help from my friends.

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 continued story of how I mapped Palenque - still in 1998, field season 1 of 3.  In this episode - forest fires, mangos, and skinny dipping.

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

From 1998 to 2000, I led the Palenque Mapping Project.  In this episode I'll share the behind the scenes story of how I got the job and the strange things that happened while making the map.

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 Wari were a civilization of 100's of 1000's of people living in the Andes between 500 and 1000 CE.  Never heard of them?  You're not alone.  In this episode, I'll tell you about them and explain why I believe they were the inspiration for the later Inca Empire.

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

Mississippian civilization honored its dead by laying them to rest in pyramidal burial mounds.  But why?  What did it mean to them and where did they get the idea to do it?  In this episode, we'll discuss that tradition - including its origins and evolution.  

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