The Truth About: Crystal Skulls

Linked to End-Time Prophecies and Mystic Powers, What Truth Lays Behind the Famed Mesoamerican Crystal Skulls?

To some, they are the antithesis of history, a pseudohistorical fraud perpetrated on a gullible public. To others, they are evidence of a more spiritual and mystic time, one where the great civilisations wielded powers beyond Euro-American imagining. To many others, they have been a cash-cow, linked to wealthy speaking tours, books, movies and video-games. No matter the beliefs held, all can agree that the “pre-Colombian” crystal skulls are an impressive sight to behold, awakening primal fears of the unknown. But are these fears justified?

Crystal skull at the Musée du quai Branly, Paris. Eugène Boban, a controversal antique dealer, sold this piece to Alphonse Pinart, a young explorer. Pinart donated it to the Museum of Ethnography at Trocadéro, Paris. | Klaus-Dieter Keller, Wikimedia Commons, (CC0 1.0)
Public Domain Dedication

While many crystal skulls claim to be able to trace their origins back to the pre-Colombian Americas, the truth is that almost all are born out of Victorian-era fascination with spiritualism, exploration and archaeology. It was during this time that many amateurs collected specimens from around the globe, claims of experience in the sciences and humanities giving an air of deeper learning amongst some sections of the establishment. These collectors were easy prey for forgers both…