History of the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Inca & Amazon Civilization - Ed Barnhart

Ed Barnhart (full name: Edwin Lawrence Barnhart, born October 29, 1968) is a prominent American archaeologist, explorer, and educator specializing in the ancient civilizations of the Americas, particularly the Maya, Olmec and Aztec. The Olmecs were the earliest known major civilization in Mesoamerica (what is now Mexico and Central America). They flourished roughly from 1400 BCE to 400 BCE along the tropical Gulf Coast of southern Veracruz and Tabasco, Mexico. The Maya were one of the most advanced and longest-lasting civilizations in ancient Mesoamerica (present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador). They did not suddenly appear or disappear — their culture spanned more than 3,000 years, from roughly 2000 BCE all the way into the Spanish conquest (and their descendants are still thriving today). The Aztecs (also known as the Mexica) were the last great civilization of ancient Mesoamerica. They rose to power in central Mexico and built one of the largest and most powerful empires in the Americas right up until the Spanish arrived in 1519. The Inca (also called the Inka) were the largest and most powerful empire in pre-Columbian South America. They built one of the most impressive civilizations in the ancient world in just about 100 years before the Spanish arrived. Their heartland was the Andes Mountains of Peru, but at its peak the empire (called Tawantinsuyu – “Land of the Four Quarters”) stretched 2,500 miles from modern Colombia in the north all the way to Chile and parts of Argentina in the south. Capital: Cusco (in present-day Peru). Most famous site: Machu Picchu. 0:00 - Intro 2:40 - When did Humans Reach the Americas? 6:00 - Was there an Ice Age Sea Voyage to South America? 7:45 - Open Minded Approach to Archeology 10:30 - Discoveries that change Mainstream Historical Narrative 19:30 - Ed's Discovery of a Massive Mayan City 27:44 - Magnetic Cube Discovery at Olmec Site 37:16 - Solving the greatest Mysteries 43:00 - How did the Mayan tell time? 51:00 - Human Sacrifice in Mesoamerica 1:01:15 - How the Aztec Empire Began 1:07:30 - Europeans bring devastating disease to the Americas 1:12:24 - Uncontacted Tribes in the Amazon 1:15:40 - Women's Status in Pre-Columbian America 1:19:30 - Giant Amazonian Woman Warriors 1:22:10 - Disease wiping out Indigenous 1:25:30 - Psychedelic Use in Mesoamerican Cultures 1:32:30 - How did the Inca move such massive stones? 1:41:00 - The Astonishing short timeline of the Aztec and Inca 1:43:50 - Mississippi Mound Building Civilization 1:49:01 - Vikings in America 1:52:04 - Ancient Chinese Ships Reaching America 1:54:29 - Hostility in the field of Archeology 1:59:10 - Exciting future of Archeology, What will we find next?