ArchaeoEd Podcast

About 4000 years ago, the civilizations of Mesoamerica created the world's first team sport - older by centuries than any other.  It was played with a big rubber ball, in a stone-built ball court, and enjoyed from the Chihuahua Desert to the rainforests of Honduras. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://ar...

In this episode I'll ask the age old question - who's a good dog?   Dogs were man's best friend in Americas for 1000's of years, from Alaska to the tip of Chile.  They were pets, cargo haulers, hunting companions, guides to the afterlife, and at times, food.  Join me as I discuss what I know about dogs in the ancient Americas. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!...

Ancient Americans consumed a number of plants that Western society now view as "drugs".  But to the ancients, they weren't just plants.  They had spirits that could give them strength and aid them to reach an altered state of consciousness through which to interact with the supernatural otherworld. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoe...

The Olmecs are widely considered Mesoamerica's "mother culture".  In this episode I'll talk about that amazing civilization's achievements and how recent discoveries may change what we think we know about them. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calenda...

Moises Morales was a legend in Mexico.  His contributions to our knowledge and the protection of the Maya ruins of Palenque are unparalleled.  In this episode, I'll tell you some stories about my dear friend Moi. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 M...

The 260 day calendar of Mesoamerica is its oldest and most enduring measurement of time.  In this episode I'll explain how it works, what it means to modern Maya people, and how the Dresden Codex contains important links between the past and present uses of the sacred Tzolk'in calendar. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch...

The Mogollon are a little known ancient civilization of  the American Southwest.  But you probably know them and just don't know you know them, you know?  And if you really don't know them, they're worth knowing. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see...

The Moche were an amazingly advanced civilization who lived along Peru's northern coast from about 100 to 750 CE.  In this episode, I'll explain how I believe that they were monotheistic, worshipping a creator deity I call the Fanged Deity. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/...

The Fanged Deity is a ubiquitous character in ancient Andean art.  His identity as the same creator deity over thousands of years, through multiple cultures and from Columbia to Chile, is my own potentially paradigm shifting theory.  Join me as I explain why I believe the religions of ancient South America were essentially monotheistic. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://...

Part two of the last episode. Stories of my 3rd and 4th seasons mapping Ma'ax Na and some other crazy stuff that happened in my career in 1996 and 1997. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com Bars and Dot...

Back in the 1990's, I discovered the ancient Maya city of Ma'ax Na in the remote jungles of Northwestern Belize.  This podcast tells the story of how I did it. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at https://www.mayan-calendar.com...

The moment of contact between Europe and the Americas in the 15th century brought with it a host of infectious diseases.  The result was the spread of epidemics at a scale and speed the world had never known. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Cale...

The Inca Khipu - knotted string records of the Inca Empire.  The amazingly organized Inca civilization of over 10 million people was kept running smoothly through the use of the khipu, essentially the Inca "writing" system.  But sadly, the world forgot how to read them.  This episode will explain what they are, what we know about them, and our most recent attempts to crack the khipu code...

Chaco Canyon is without doubt the finest ancient architecture within the modern United States.  The Ancestral Pueblo built it over a 300 year period between 850-1150 CE, but the strange thing is - they barely lived there.  Join me as we discuss the "Chaco Phenomenon".  Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! ht...

From 1539 to 1542, Hernando de Soto led an army of Spanish conquistadors through what is now the southeastern United States.  What his men saw and documented during those three years was amazing.  What they did was psychotic.     Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - se...

Easter Island, or as its known to its inhabitants, Rapa Nui is one of the most remote places on the planet.  In this episode, Ed will discuss how the first people made it to the island, the insights their "oral traditions" reveal and how European contact turned the whole place on its head.  There's much more to the Rapa Nui than the amazing statues they erected.  Those famous Moai w...

Tulum was an ancient Maya port city on Yucatan's eastern coast and still populated when the Spanish first arrived, but strangely the conquistadors never securely identified or occupied it.  Why?  I think it's got something to do with the Aztecs. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/supp...

A one minute trailer for the ArchaeoEd Podcast Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   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 Exploratio...

The Nazca were a culture in Peru's desert who existed between 100 BCE and 700 CE.  This episode will discuss who they were, how they lived and (of course) the famous Nazca Lines they scratched into the desert. Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREE Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to y...

Palenque is an ancient Maya city nestled into a mountainside in the rainforests of Chiapas, Mexico.  This episode will talk about its dynasty, their incredible achievements in mathematics and science, and the beautiful architecture found within its ruins. Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREE Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may r...

The ancient Hopewell civilization of Ohio.  Yes, Ohio.  Guess where the world's largest collection of ancient geometric earthworks are?  Yep, Ohio.  And some surrounding states, but mostly Ohio. Support the show Support ArchaeoEd through Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/archaeoed ArchaeoEd Merch now available! https://archaeoed.com/support/   Mayan Calendar - see the 2026 Mayan Calendar at h...