For centuries the legend of the crystal skull has captivated explorers, adventurers and even scientists. Were crystal skulls handmade by ancient Aztecs? The work of supernatural powers? Or carefully crafted fakes? New light will be shed on the myths behind these fascinating objects when the Smithsonian’s own crystal skull goes on public display for the first time, ever. “The Truth About Crystal Skulls” exhibit will open July 10 and continue through Sept. 1 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
Crystal skulls are sculptures of the human skull carved from blocks of clear or milky quartz, often called rock crystal. Claimed to be pre-Columbian Mesoamerican artifacts, identified as Aztec, Toltec, Mixtec or occasionally Maya, the truth is that none of the specimens made available for scientific study have been authenticated as pre-Columbian in origin or were ever recovered from an archaeological site, i.e. no archaeologist has ever dug one of these skulls out of the ground. Scientists theorize they were manufactured in the mid-19th century or later, in Mexico and Europe. The skulls are claimed to exhibit paranormal phenomena by some people and have been depicted as such in fiction and films. Perhaps the most widely known of such portrayals is the film “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” which premiered in theaters in May.
The Smithsonian’s crystal skull arrived in the mail with an unsigned letter in 1992, stating that it was purchased in Mexico in 1960 and that it was Aztec. In comparison with the earlier skulls collected in the 19th century, the Smithsonian skull is enormous; at 31 pounds and nearly 10 inches high, it dwarfs all other known crystal skulls. Walsh and her British Museum colleague Margaret Sax believe it was manufactured in Mexico shortly before it was sold.
The arrival of the crystal skull at the Smithsonian instigated Walsh’s research into determining the artifact’s origin and establishing its authenticity. With the assistance of Scott Whittaker, the manager of the museum’s Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) laboratory, Walsh has carefully studied the lapidary (stone-cutting) techniques on crystal skulls and other hard stone carvings of purported pre-Columbian origins. Modern stone carving tool marks have been identified meaning they could not have been carved before the mid-19th century and therefore cannot be of pre-Columbian origin.
