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 European contact; however, scientific studies have shown these claims to be false. Research on the skulls found that they were created in the mid-19th century or later, most likely in Europe, during a time when people were interested in ancient cultures. Evidence suggests the skulls were made in Germany, possibly in workshops in the town of Idar-Oberstein, which was famous for crafting items from Brazilian quartz during the late 1800s.

Stories about crystal skulls having magical powers are not part of real Mesoamerican or other Native American myths or spiritual traditions. Some members of the New Age movement claim these skulls can show paranormal abilities, and they are often shown this way in books, movies, and other fictional works. Crystal skulls have appeared in many science fiction stories, including television shows, novels, films, and video games.

Collections

During the late 1800s, the trade of fake pre-Columbian artifacts became common. In 1886, William Henry Holmes, a Smithsonian archaeologist, 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 opened a shop in Paris in 1870, is most closely linked to 19th-century museum collections of crystal skulls. Many of Boban’s items, including three crystal skulls, were sold to Alphonse Pinart, a cultural researcher. Pinart later gave 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 and are 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 at sites with clear records of their discovery. Studies of several crystal skulls at the British Museum in 1967, 1996, and 2004 showed that the lines carved on their teeth (these skulls lack separate jawbones, unlike the Mitchell-Hedges skull) were made using tools like rotary devices, which were developed in the 19th century. This evidence suggests the skulls could not have been made before European contact in the Americas.

The type of crystal used in these skulls was identified by examining tiny pieces of chlorite inside the stones. This material is only found in Madagascar and Brazil, meaning it was not available to people in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Researchers concluded that the skulls were likely created in the 19th century in Germany, possibly in the town of Idar-Oberstein, which was known for making items from Brazilian quartz during that time.

It has been confirmed that the crystal skulls in the British Museum and the Paris 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, an ethnographer who had bought it from Boban.

In 1992, the Smithsonian Institution examined a crystal skull from an anonymous source, who claimed it was purchased in Mexico City in 1960 and was of Aztec origin. The study found the skull was also made recently. The Smithsonian noted that Boban likely obtained his crystal skulls from Germany, matching findings from the British Museum.

In May 2008, the Journal of Archaeological Science published a study by the British Museum and the Smithsonian. Using electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography, researchers found that the British Museum's skull was shaped with a rough abrasive like corundum or diamond and a rotary disc tool made of metal. The Smithsonian's skull was worked with silicon carbide (carborundum), a synthetic material made with modern industrial methods. Since carborundum was first created in the 1890s and became widely available 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 antiquarian named Eugène Boban. At that time, the origin of the skull was not listed in Boban’s catalog. He reportedly 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 it 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 very similar to the Mitchell-Hedges skull but is less detailed and does not have a 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 the skull was made with 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 and author F. A. Mitchell-Hedges. A 1990 documentary titled Crystal Skull of Lubaantun focuses on this skull. Smithsonian researchers described it as “very nearly a replica of the British Museum skull—almost exactly the same shape, but with more detailed modeling of the eyes and the teeth.”

Mitchell-Hedges 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 mentioned the discovery in his writings 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 art dealer Sydney Burney. In December 1943, he wrote to his brother about purchasing the skull from Burney.

The skull is made from a block of clear quartz about the size of a small human cranium, measuring approximately 5 inches (13 cm) high, 7 inches (18 cm) long, and 5 inches (13 cm) wide. The lower jaw is detached. In the 1970s, freelance art restorer Frank Dorland examined the skull and noted that it was carved without regard to the natural crystal’s structure and without using metal tools. He found no scratch marks except for traces of mechanical grinding on the teeth and speculated that the skull was shaped using diamonds for rough carving and sand for polishing over 150 to 300 years. He estimated it could be up to 12,000 years old. However, tests showed no differences in properties between the skull and other natural quartz crystals.

While in Dorland’s care, the skull was examined by writer Richard Garvin, who arranged for it to be tested at Hewlett-Packard’s crystal laboratories in California. The tests confirmed it was made from a single crystal of quartz and that the lower jaw was carved from the same type of crystal as the rest of the skull. No further investigation into its age or manufacturing method was conducted.

Mayanist archaeologist Norman Hammond noted signs of metal drilling on the holes in the skull, which were likely used for support pegs. Anna Mitchell-Hedges refused to allow further scientific testing of the skull.

The earliest published mention of the skull appeared in the July 1936 issue of the British journal Man, where it was described as being in the possession of Sydney Burney, who owned it since 1933. F. A. Mitchell-Hedges briefly mentioned the skull in his 1954 autobiography, Danger My Ally, stating it was at least 3,600 years old and used by the High Priest of the Maya for rituals. Later editions of the book omitted any mention of the skull.

In a 1970 letter, Anna Mitchell-Hedges wrote that she was told by remaining Maya people that the skull was used by the high priest to cause death, leading to its nickname, “The Skull of Doom.” She exhibited the skull on a pay-per-view basis starting in 1967 and continued giving interviews about it until her death in 2007.

After her death, the skull was owned by Bill Homann, her husband. He continued to believe in its mystical powers. In 2007, Homann brought the skull to anthropologist Jane MacLaren Walsh at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History for examination. Walsh used ultraviolet light, a high-powered microscope, and computerized tomography to study the skull. She also created molds of the skull’s surface for scanning electron microscope analysis, which showed it was carved using a high-speed metal tool coated with diamond abrasive. Walsh concluded the skull was likely made in the 1930s and based on the British Museum skull, which had been displayed since 1898.

In a National Geographic Channel documentary titled The Truth Behind the Crystal Skulls, forensic artist Gloria Nusse reconstructed the face of the skull using a replica. The reconstruction showed the face had female and European features, suggesting the skull was not made by ancient Americans.

The largest of the three skulls sold by Eugène Boban to Alphonse Pinart (sometimes called the Paris Skull), about 10 cm (4 in) high, has a hole drilled through its center. It is part of a collection at the Musée du Quai Branly and was tested by France’s Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France from 2007 to 2008.

Paranormal claims and spiritual associations

Some people believe that crystal skulls can perform amazing or unusual things. Anna Mitchell-Hedges said she found a skull that could cause visions, cure diseases like cancer, and even kill someone. She also claimed she saw a future event involving 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 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 powers. They have not discovered any unusual events linked to the skulls and do not see a need for further study, except to confirm where the skulls came from 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 suggests that thirteen mystical skulls would prevent a disaster linked to the calendar’s end. This claim was shared in a 2008 television program titled The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls. The show featured people like Richard Hoagland, who linked the skulls to Mars, and David Hatcher Childress, who wrote about lost civilizations and anti-gravity.

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

Stories about crystal skulls and Native American spiritual beliefs, as written by some authors, are not supported by evidence. Instead, these myths are traced back to stories created by F.A. Mitchell-Hedges. 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 were exactly thirteen crystal skulls.

These myths would not be connected to Native American cultures if not for the interest of New Age writers who promoted them.