Crystal skulls are human skull-shaped carvings made from clear, milky white, or other types of quartz, also known as "rock crystal." Some people claim these skulls are ancient artifacts from Mesoamerica, created before European explorers arrived in the Americas. However, scientific studies of these skulls have shown that they were made in the mid-19th century or later, most likely in Europe. This was a time when many people were interested in ancient cultures. Evidence suggests the skulls were crafted in Germany, possibly in the town of Idar-Oberstein, which was famous for making objects from Brazilian quartz during the late 1800s.

Stories about crystal skulls having magical powers are not found in real Mesoamerican or other Native American myths or spiritual traditions. Some people in the New Age movement claim these skulls can show paranormal events, and they are often shown this way in books, movies, television shows, and video games. Crystal skulls have become a common topic in science fiction stories and other forms of entertainment.

Collections

During the late 1800s, trade in fake pre-Columbian artifacts became common. In 1886, William Henry Holmes, an archaeologist from the Smithsonian Institution, wrote an article titled "The Trade in Spurious Mexican Antiquities" for the journal Science. While museums had collected skulls before, Eugène Boban, an antiquities dealer who started his business in Paris in 1870, is most closely linked to 19th-century museum collections of crystal skulls. Most of Boban's collection, including three crystal skulls, was sold to Alphonse Pinart, a researcher, who later donated the collection to the Trocadéro Museum. This museum later became known as the Musée de l'Homme.

Research

Many crystal skulls are said to be from the pre-Columbian era, often linked to the Aztec or Maya civilizations. Mesoamerican art includes many images of skulls, but none of the skulls in museum collections were found during recorded excavations. Studies at the British Museum in 1967, 1996, and 2004 showed that the lines on the teeth of these skulls (which lacked separate jawbones, unlike the Mitchell-Hedges skull) were carved using tools like rotary devices, which were developed in the 19th century. This suggests the skulls could not have been made before the 1500s.

Scientists examined the type of crystal used for the skulls and found tiny pieces of a mineral called chlorite inside. This mineral is only found in Madagascar and Brazil, not in Mesoamerica during the pre-Columbian period. This discovery led researchers to conclude the skulls were made in the 19th century in Germany, likely in workshops in the town of Idar-Oberstein, which was known for crafting objects from Brazilian quartz during that time.

It has been confirmed that the crystal skulls in the British Museum and Paris's Musée de l'Homme were originally sold by a French dealer named Eugène Boban, who worked in Mexico City from 1860 to 1880. The British Museum's skull passed through New York's Tiffany & Co., while the Musée de l'Homme's skull was donated by Alphonse Pinart, an ethnographer who bought it from Boban.

In 1992, the Smithsonian Institution examined a crystal skull given by an anonymous person. The person claimed to have bought it in Mexico City in 1960 and said it was of Aztec origin. However, the Smithsonian found the skull was made recently. This matches earlier findings by the British Museum, which stated Boban likely obtained his skulls from Germany.

In May 2008, the Journal of Archaeological Science published a study by the British Museum and the Smithsonian. Using tools like electron microscopes and X-ray crystallography, researchers found the British Museum's skull was shaped using a rough material like corundum or diamond and a metal rotary disc. The Smithsonian's skull was worked with silicon carbide, a man-made substance created in the 1890s. Since silicon carbide became widely available only in the 20th century, the researchers concluded the skull was likely made in the 1950s or later.

Individual skulls

The crystal skull in the British Museum was first seen in 1881 at the shop of a Paris antiquarian named Eugène Boban. At that time, the origin of the skull was not mentioned in Boban’s records. He tried to sell it to Mexico’s national museum as an Aztec artifact but was not successful. Later, Boban moved his business to New York City, where the skull was sold to George H. Sisson. In 1887, George F. Kunz displayed the skull at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in New York City. The skull was later sold at auction and purchased by Tiffany and Co., who then sold it to the British Museum in 1897. This skull is similar to the Mitchell-Hedges skull but has less detail and no movable lower jaw.

The British Museum lists the skull’s origin as “probably European, 19th century AD” and states it is not an authentic pre-Columbian artifact. It has been confirmed that this skull was made using modern tools and is not genuine.

The most famous and mysterious skull was allegedly discovered in 1924 by Anna Mitchell-Hedges, the adopted daughter of British adventurer F. A. Mitchell-Hedges. A 1990 documentary, Crystal Skull of Lubaantun, focuses on this skull. Smithsonian researchers described it as nearly identical in shape to the British Museum skull but with more detailed eyes and teeth.

Anna claimed she found the skull buried under a collapsed altar inside a temple in Lubaantun, British Honduras (now Belize). However, F. A. Mitchell-Hedges never wrote about this discovery in his books on Lubaantun. Others at the excavation did not record the skull’s discovery or Anna’s presence. Recent evidence shows that F. A. Mitchell-Hedges bought the skull at a Sotheby’s auction in London on October 15, 1943, from art dealer Sydney Burney. He mentioned this purchase in a letter to his brother in December 1943.

The skull is made from a block of clear quartz about the size of a small human cranium. It measures approximately 5 inches (13 cm) high, 7 inches (18 cm) long, and 5 inches (13 cm) wide. The lower jaw is separate. In the 1970s, art restorer Frank Dorland studied the skull and noted that it was carved without following the natural crystal structure and without metal tools. He found signs of grinding on the teeth and suggested it might have been carved with diamonds and polished over 150 to 300 years. Dorland estimated it could be up to 12,000 years old, but tests showed it had the same properties as other quartz crystals.

While in Dorland’s care, the skull was examined by writer Richard Garvin, who arranged for tests at Hewlett-Packard’s crystal laboratories. The tests showed the skull was made from a single quartz crystal, and the lower jaw was made from the same type of crystal as the rest of the skull. No further tests were done about how it was made or its age.

Archaeologist Norman Hammond noted signs of metal drilling on the skull’s holes. Anna Mitchell-Hedges refused to allow further scientific testing.

The earliest published mention of the skull was in 1936 in the British journal Man, where it was described as being owned by Sydney Burney, who had acquired it in 1933. F. A. Mitchell-Hedges briefly mentioned the skull in his 1954 autobiography, Danger My Ally, claiming it was at least 3,600 years old and used by a Maya high priest. Later editions of the book did not mention the skull.

In 1970, Anna stated she was told by some Maya people that the skull was used by a high priest to cause death, leading to its nickname, “The Skull of Doom.” She displayed the skull publicly from 1967 until her death in 2007.

After Anna’s death, her husband, Bill Homann, owned the skull. He continued to believe in its mystical powers. In 2007, Homann brought the skull to Smithsonian anthropologist Jane MacLaren Walsh for testing. Walsh used ultraviolet light, a microscope, and CT scans to examine the skull. She also made molds of the skull’s surface for further analysis. The scans showed the skull was carved using a high-speed metal tool with diamond abrasive. Walsh concluded the skull was likely made in the 1930s and based on the British Museum skull.

In a National Geographic Channel documentary, forensic artist Gloria Nusse used a replica of the skull to create a face. The face had features resembling a European woman, suggesting the skull was not made by ancient Americans.

The largest of three skulls sold by Eugène Boban to Alphonse Pinart, known as the Paris Skull, is about 10 cm (4 in) high and has a hole drilled through its center. It is part of a collection at the Musée du Quai Branly and was tested in 2007–08 by France’s Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France.

Paranormal claims and spiritual associations

Some people believe that crystal skulls have special powers and can perform miracles. Anna Mitchell-Hedges said that the skull she claimed to find could cause visions and cure diseases like cancer. She also said she once used its power to harm someone and saw a vision of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

In the 1931 play The Satin Slipper by Paul Claudel, King Philip II of Spain uses a skull made of a single piece of crystal. This skull is lit by sunlight as it sets, and it allows the king to see the defeat of the Spanish Armada during its attack on England.

Scientists have not found any evidence that crystal skulls have healing or supernatural abilities. They have not observed any unusual events connected to the skulls and believe there is no need to study them further, except to confirm their origin and how they were made.

Another idea, not supported by history, connects crystal skulls to the end of a Maya calendar cycle on December 21, 2012. This idea claims that uniting thirteen mystical skulls would stop a disaster said to be linked to the end of the calendar. This claim appeared in a 2008 television program called The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls. People interviewed included Richard Hoagland, who linked the skulls to life on Mars, and David Hatcher Childress, who promoted ideas about lost civilizations and anti-gravity.

In his book Serpent of Light, author Drunvalo Melchizedek writes that he saw Mayan people holding crystal skulls during ceremonies in the Yucatán. He claimed the skulls held the spirits of ancient Mayans who waited for a time when their knowledge would be needed again.

Stories about crystal skulls in Native American spiritual traditions, as written by modern spiritual authors like Jamie Sams, are not accepted as true. Instead, scholar Philip Jenkins suggests these myths began with stories spread by F.A. Mitchell-Hedges. By the 1970s, crystal skulls became part of New Age beliefs, often described as powerful relics from ancient Atlantis. These beliefs included the idea that there were exactly thirteen such skulls.

These ideas have little connection to Native American traditions unless New Age writers focused attention on them.