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 before Columbus arrived, but scientific studies have shown these claims are incorrect. Research on the skulls found that they were made in the mid-19th century or later, most likely in Europe, during a time when people were very interested in ancient cultures. Evidence suggests the skulls were crafted in Germany, possibly in the town of Idar-Oberstein, which was famous for making items from Brazilian quartz during the late 1800s.

These skulls are not part of real Mesoamerican or other Native American myths or spiritual traditions. Some members of the New Age movement claim the skulls have special powers, and they are often shown in fictional stories, movies, books, and video games as having magical abilities. Crystal skulls have become a common topic in science fiction and other forms of entertainment.

Collections

During the late 1800s, the trade of fake pre-Columbian artifacts became common. In 1886, William Henry Holmes, an archaeologist from the Smithsonian, wrote an article titled "The Trade in Spurious Mexican Antiquities" for the journal Science. While museums had previously collected skulls, Eugène Boban, an antiquities dealer who opened a shop in Paris in 1870, is most closely linked to the 19th-century museum collections of crystal skulls. Most of Boban's collection, which included three crystal skulls, was sold to Alphonse Pinart, an ethnographer. Pinart later donated the collection to the Trocadéro Museum, which later became 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 official archaeological digs. Studies of several crystal skulls at the British Museum in 1967, 1996, and 2004 showed that the carved lines on their teeth (these skulls lacked separate jawbones, unlike the Mitchell-Hedges skull) were made using tools like rotary devices, which were invented in the 19th century. This evidence suggests the skulls could not have been made before the 1500s.

The type of crystal used in these skulls was examined for tiny pieces of chlorite. This material is only found in Madagascar and Brazil, not in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Researchers concluded the skulls were likely made in the 19th century in Germany, possibly in the town of Idar-Oberstein, 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 between 1860 and 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, who bought it from Boban.

In 1992, the Smithsonian Institution examined a crystal skull given by an anonymous person, who claimed to have bought it in Mexico City in 1960 and said it was Aztec. The study found the skull was also made recently. The Smithsonian noted that Boban likely obtained his skulls from Germany, matching the British Museum's findings.

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 that the British Museum's skull was shaped with a rough abrasive like corundum or diamond and a metal rotary disc. The Smithsonian's skull was worked with silicon carbide, a man-made material 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 first appeared in 1881 in the shop of a Paris art dealer named Eugène Boban. At that time, Boban did not provide information about where the skull came from. He tried to sell it to Mexico’s national museum as an Aztec artifact, but the museum did not buy it. 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 an auction and bought by Tiffany and Co. They sold it to the British Museum in 1897. This skull is very similar to the Mitchell-Hedges skull, but it has less detail and no movable lower jaw.

The British Museum describes the skull’s origin as “probably European, 19th century AD” and states it is “not an authentic pre-Columbian artifact.” Scientists have determined that the skull was made with modern tools and is not genuine.

The most famous and mysterious skull was allegedly found in 1924 by Anna Mitchell-Hedges, the adopted daughter of British adventurer and writer F. A. Mitchell-Hedges. A 1990 video 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 in a temple in Lubaantun, British Honduras (now Belize). However, F. A. Mitchell-Hedges never wrote about this discovery in his books about Lubaantun. Others present during 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 an art dealer named Sydney Burney. He wrote to his brother in December 1943 about purchasing the skull from Burney.

The skull is made from a block of clear quartz about the size of a small human head. It measures 5 inches (13 cm) high, 7 inches (18 cm) long, and 5 inches (13 cm) wide. The lower jaw is separate. In the 1970s, an art restorer named Frank Dorland studied the skull and said it was carved without following the natural crystal structure and without metal tools. He found signs of grinding on the teeth and guessed the skull was carved using diamonds for rough shaping and sand for polishing over 150 to 300 years. He believed it could be up to 12,000 years old. However, tests later showed the skull is made from a single piece of quartz and not a composite. The lower jaw was made from the same type of crystal as the rest of the skull. No tests were done to determine its age or how it was made.

A Mayan archaeologist named Norman Hammond found signs that the holes in the skull were made with metal tools. Anna Mitchell-Hedges refused to allow further scientific testing of the skull.

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

In 1970, Anna said she was told by some Maya people that the skull was used by a priest to cause death. Because of this, the skull is sometimes called “The Skull of Doom.” Anna displayed the skull publicly from 1967 until her death in 2007. After her death, the skull was owned by her husband, Bill Homann, who still believes in its mystical powers.

In 2007, Homann brought the skull to the Smithsonian Institution for examination. Anthropologist Jane MacLaren Walsh used ultraviolet light, a microscope, and computerized tomography to study it. In 2008, Walsh made molds of the skull’s surface for further analysis. The results showed the skull was likely carved with a high-speed metal tool coated with diamond. Walsh concluded the skull was probably made in the 1930s and based on the British Museum skull, which had been displayed since 1898.

In a National Geographic Channel documentary, a forensic artist used a replica of the skull to reconstruct its face. The face had features resembling a European woman. This suggested the skull was not made by ancient Americans.

Another skull, the largest of three sold by Eugène Boban to Alphonse Pinart, is about 10 cm (4 in) high and has a hole drilled through its center. It is in a collection at the Musée du Quai Branly in France. Scientists tested it from 2007 to 2008, but no details about the results were provided in the original text.

Paranormal claims and spiritual associations

Some people believe that crystal skulls can perform miracles. Anna Mitchell-Hedges said she found a skull that could cause visions, cure cancer, and even kill someone. She also claimed she 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 from a single piece of rock crystal. The skull is lit by sunlight and allows him to see the defeat of the Spanish Armada in its attack on England.

Scientists have not found any evidence that crystal skulls have healing or supernatural powers. They have not discovered any unusual events linked to the skulls and do not see a need to study them further, except to confirm where they came from and how they were made.

Another idea, which is not supported by history, connects crystal skulls to the end of a Maya calendar cycle on December 21, 2012. This idea claims that thirteen mystical skulls will prevent a disaster linked to the calendar’s end. This claim was discussed in a 2008 TV program titled The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls. People interviewed on the show included Richard Hoagland, who linked the skulls to life on Mars, and David Hatcher Childress, who believes in lost civilizations and anti-gravity.

In his book Serpent of Light, author Drunvalo Melchizedek writes that he saw indigenous Mayan descendants with crystal skulls during ceremonies in the Yucatán. He claims the skulls contained the souls of ancient Mayans who waited for a time when their knowledge would be needed again.

Stories about crystal skulls being connected to Native American spiritual beliefs, as written by some New Age authors like Jamie Sams, are not supported by evidence. Instead, historian Philip Jenkins suggests these stories began with F.A. Mitchell-Hedges and were later popularized by others.

By the 1970s, crystal skulls became part of New Age beliefs, often linked to the lost civilization of Atlantis. These beliefs included the idea that there are exactly thirteen crystal skulls. These ideas are not related to Native American traditions, but some New Age writers have connected them to North American Indian cultures.