What are the crystal skulls?
The crystal skulls are objects carved from clear quartz crystal into the exact shape of a human skull. They have been presented as relics of the ancient Maya or Aztec civilizations, and examples held by the British Museum in London and the Smithsonian Institution in the United States are well known.
The Mitchell-Hedges skull and its legend
The most famous is the “Mitchell-Hedges skull.” Anna, the adopted daughter of the British adventurer F. A. Mitchell-Hedges, said she found it in the 1920s at a Maya site in Belize, and it was also called the “Skull of Doom.” In reality, there are records showing that Mitchell-Hedges bought it at an auction in London in 1943.
A legend also grew up that the ancient Maya made thirteen crystal skulls in all, and that when they are all gathered, the secrets of humanity will be revealed (or its destruction prevented). The skulls inspired the 2008 film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Made in modern times?
Researchers at the British Museum and the Smithsonian examined the surfaces in detail with electron microscopes and other methods. They found marks of rotary cutting wheels, tools that were not used in the Americas before Europeans arrived.
Many of these skulls are also known to have come onto the market in the late 19th century through French antique dealers and others. They are therefore now thought to have been made in Europe or elsewhere in the 19th century or later. The Aztecs did carve skulls from stone, and the crystal skulls may have been made in imitation. See our OOPArts overview for more famous examples.
