Crystal Skulls

Author: Neil Hamilton

Crystal skulls are a hardstone carving of a human skull made up of quartz. They began being made around the 19 century and are claimed to be pre-columbian mesoamerican artifacts. Although where crystal skulls actually originated from has been refuted by scientist for years. Crystal skulls should not be considered uncommon or terribly mysterious because thousands are produced every year in China, Brazil, and Germany.

Crystal Skulls Mystery

Crystals aren't always meant to represent something or mean something. A Lot of times they are simply just a hardstone carving of a skull. They are made with alot of detail and the quartz can be very translucent or transparent. Some people admire them for nothing more than the great craftsmanship behind them. Whether you see them as spooky or fascinating they are still extremely interesting artifacts either way. Although according to certain cultures, crystal skulls represent more that just a hardstone carving. In an article written by Shanna Freeman she states “crystal skulls are sometimes meant to represent doom and destruction and sometimes hope and healing.” She goes on to say how some cultures use them as crystal balls to see into the past, present, and future claiming that the skull emitted psychic energy. Shanna pointed these beliefs toward the Mayan culture. There is a creation myth in their culture that 13 crystal skulls were scattered by the mayans thousands of years ago to be discovered and reunited in modern times. This is only one of the many mysteries that come along with crystal skulls

The most thought upon questions that come up on crystal skulls is their history. Researchers, scientist, and archeologist are all dragged into discovering more on the history of these interesting artifacts. Some believe that crystal skulls date back hundreds of thousands of years ago and may be a relic of lost civilizations. Such as the ones that you can see in the British Museum.

The british museum along with smithsonian institution had done recent electron microscope analysis on crystal skulls. These analysis revealed markings that could only been made with

modern marking tools. Clearly researchers struggle to come up with where, how, and when crystal skulls actually came from. An article found on National Geographic offer a chance for readers to better understand what history scientist and researchers have happened to found and been able to back up. In the article it states that the crystal skulls in the british and smithsonian museum date back to the mid and late 1800s. In the article author Richard A. Lovett describes these times as “a time when public interest in ancient cultures was high and museums were eager for pieces to display.” The rumor is that the british museum displayed skulls with crystal said to be “found in Brazil or Madagascar and thus inaccessible to pre-columbian indigenous civilizations.” No one knows who made these crystal skulls and when because there was no way for scientist or archeologist to accurately determine the age of an inorganic object like the skulls.

Behind the crystal skulls are some mysteries that some cultures tend to believe in. The main one is of the Mayan spreading 13 crystal skulls to be found in modern times. There was actually someone who claimed to have found one in a lost Mayan city during a search for Atlantis. In a book written by Garvin, Richard M he tells of the story of the crystal skull found in the mayan city. The book is called The Crystal skull: the story of the mystery, myth, and magic of the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull Discovered in a lost Mayan city during a search for Atlantis. his book is the story of the mystery, myth, and magic of the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull discovered in a lost Mayan city during a search for atlantis. The purpose of this book is to inform readers of the mysterious things that come along with crystal skulls. This source is unique because it provides a lot of useful information about crystal skulls. He also links crystal skulls with different cultures. This source is relevant because it shows me where crystal skulls can be found and how there is some sort of a mystery behind them. This book is written for an audience looking for a mythical story along with some geographical facts regarding crystal skulls.

Work Cited:

1)Richard A. Lovett. “Crystal Skulls”. National Geographic, 2015, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/archaeology/crystal-skulls/

2)Garvin, Richard M. The Crystal Skull: The Story of the Mystery,Myth and Magic of the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull Discovered in a Lost Mayan City During a Search for Atlantis. , 1973.

3)Shanna Freeman. “How crystal skulls work”. Science.howstuffworks.com, 2019, https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/unexplained-phenomena/crystal-skull.htm.

Links for further research:

“Crystal skulls”. World-mysteries.com
https://www.world-mysteries.com/strange-artifacts/out-of-place-artifacts/crystal-skulls/.
This source mainly covers the mysteries behind crystal skull. The author talks on how fascinating they are and how they had an impact on archaeology in the 20th century. This article is meant to inform us about the how they are created and mystical stories that come along with them. This source is unique because it links the crystal skulls with aztec and mayan culture and allows people to respond on the subject themselves, giving me different views from the subject. This article is drawing attention to more of an audience who has something to say on the topic themselves and are interested in mysteries.

“How crystal skulls work”. Science.howstuffworks.com
https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/unexplained-phenomena/crystal-skull.htm.
In short this article explains what all crystal skulls are exactly made of. They describe where the materials to make these skulls come from and how they are made. This article is informing us readers how crystal skulls work and what they are made up of. The fact that this website provides information on what crystal skulls are made up of makes it unique. They describe what exactly
kind of crystal is used for the skulls which will be very beneficial information to my paper. This article is aimed towards a more scientific audience. People who care for the science behind things.

The Crystal Skulls

Author: Randall Barron

The British Museum skull

Throughout the world there are many legends revolving around artifacts from ancient civilizations but one of these mysterious relics has baffled archeologists and scientists since their appearance. For decades, scientists and historians have tried to discover the true creator of the skulls with little success. No culture has ever referenced these skulls as being part of any of their traditions which has confused everyone who has researched the crystal skulls. Much of the confusion that surrounds the crystal skulls origins is due to the archeologist turned adventurer, Mitchell Hedges.

                The tales of the skulls magical properties were initially started by Mitchell Hedges when he “supposedly” discovered a crystal skull in some Mayan ruins in the 1920s. Mitchell Hedges originally displayed the crystal skull he obtained at dinner parties he hosted where he told stories of his adventures.   Since Mitchell did not reveal the skull he found until nearly twenty years later, his credibility is highly questionable. After his death, Mitchell’s adoptive daughter Anna inherited the skull and lived till 2007, still believing her father tales of the crystal skull. During Anna’s life, she speculated that her near perfect health and longevity was due to her proximity to the crystal skull. While scientists have concluded that the skulls do not have any special properties associated with the quartz used in creating them, there have been no attempts to test the skulls potential psychic abilities.

While the crystal skulls are believed to have been created by the Aztecs fur usage in religious ceremonies, an examination of the crystal skull at the British Museum has found evidence against these rumors. After the British museum observed their skull at high magnification, the quartz used in making their crystal skull had shown iron-rich chlorite deposits within the crystal that could not have been found within the quartz deposits of Mexico and South America in Mesoamerican times during the Aztecs reign.  Marks along the teeth of the skull also indicate that a nineteenth century cutting wheel was used to refine the engravings along the teeth of the skull. Since cutting wheels were not available in Mexico till 1521, we can determine that the crystal skulls were obviously created in post-Columbian times.

The most probable explanation for the crystal skulls existence is that they were created in response to the sudden flow of tourists into Mexico after they achieved independence. With so many people looking for artifacts in Mexico to send to the museums, we can understand why the macabre appearance of these items was so appealing to people. In conclusion, while the history of skulls has been controversial, they have sparked interest in ancient civilizations around the world for decades and will continue to do so for many more.

 Works Cited:

“Crystal Skull at the British Museum”. British Museum, London. Photograph. 17 January 2009. Web. 24 October 2012.

Edwards, Owen. “The Smithsonian's Crystal Skull”. Smithsonian, 30 May 2012. Web. 23 October 2012.

Hoffman, Scot. Lovett, Richard A. “Crystal Skulls Fuel Controversy, Fascination”. National Geographic. Web. 15 October 2012.

Meeks, Nigel D. Sax, Margaret. “Study of two large crystal skulls in the collections of the British Museum and the Smithsonian Institution”. British Museum. Web. 15 October 2012.

Morton, Chris. Thomas, Ceri Louise. “The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls”. thecrystalskulls.info. Sacred Hoop Magazine, 1998. 23 October 2012.

Walsh, Jane MacLaren. “Legend of the Crystal Skulls”. Archeological Institute of America. Web. 23 October 2012.

          Links for Further Research:

STRANGE ARTIFACTS - Crystal Skulls

http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_6_1.htm

A website containing details on the each of the well-known popular crystal skulls

How Crystal Skulls Work

http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/unexplained-phenomena/crystal-skull.htm

An overview of information regarding the crystal skulls

The Eerie Crystal Skulls

http://www.unmuseum.org/cryskull.htm

A blog about the crystal skulls