Skulls represent humanity's foremost symbol of death and they are powerful icons to cultures all over the globe. There have been many replicas of human skulls that have been polished out of a single crystal of quartz rock. Some are ancient, some contemporary. A few have been made from pure quartz and are absolutely clear while a rare few are also life-sized. Thirteen crystal skulls of apparently ancient origin have been found in parts of Mexico, Central America and South America, comprising one of the most fascinating subjects of 20th Century archeology. Here are some of them.

The Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull
The most widely celebrated and mysterious of these crystal skulls is the Mitchell-Hedges Skull, the manufacture of which is quite remarkable. It is very similar in form to an actual human skull, even featuring a fitted removable jawbone. Most other known crystal skulls are of a more stylized structure, often with unrealistic features and teeth that are simply etched onto a single skull piece. Interestingly, it is impossible to say how the Mitchell-Hedges skull was constructed. From a technical standpoint, it appears to be an impossible object by which today's most talented sculptors and engineers would be unable to duplicate.

The Mitchell-Hedges skull is made of clear quartz crystal, and both cranium and mandible are believed to have come from the same solid block. It weighs 11.7 pounds and is about five inches high, five inches wide, and seven inches long. Except for slight anomalies in the temples and cheekbones, it is a virtually anatomically correct replica of a human skull. Because of its small size and other characteristics, it is thought more closely to resemble a female skull -- and this has led some to refer to the Mitchell-Hedges skull as a "she."

In 1970, the Mitchell-Hedges family lent the skull to Hewlett-Packard Laboratories for extensive study. Art restorer Frank Dorland oversaw the testing at the company’s California computer equipment plant, a leading facility for crystal research. The HP examinations yielded some startling results. Researchers found that the skull had been carved against the natural axis of the crystal. Modern crystal sculptors always take into account the axis, or orientation of the crystal's molecular symmetry, because if they carve "against the grain," the piece is bound to shatter -- even with the use of lasers and other high-tech cutting methods.

To compound the strangeness, HP could find no microscopic scratches on the crystal that would indicate it had been carved with metal instruments. Dorland's best hypothesis for the skull's construction is that it was roughly hewn out with diamonds, and then the detail work was meticulously done with a gentle solution of silicon sand and water. The exhausting job -- assuming it could have been done this way -- would have required man-hours adding up to 300 years to complete.

Under these circumstances, experts believe that successfully crafting a shape as complex as the Mitchell-Hedges skull is impossible; as one HP researcher is said to have remarked, "The damned thing simply shouldn't be."

Mr. Mitchell-Hedges had always indicated that he had found the skull in an ancient temple in British Honduras, though he seemed very reluctant to reveal the details, writing: "How it came into my possession I have reason for not revealing."

Anna Mitchell-Hedges, his adopted daughter, claimed that it was she who discovered the skull on her 17th birthday in 1924 while with her father in British Honduras. She found the skull; missing the jaw, under an ancient alter. Three months later she found the jaw in the same room.

The regal Mitchell-Hedges skull is not without scandalous accusations of fraud. Some believe that F.A. Mitchell-Hedges had the piece commissioned by a sculptor, and planted it in the Lubaantun ruins for his daughter to find as a spectacular birthday present.

The validity of this charge is uncertain, but even if the Mitchell-Hedges skull is of modern origin, its structure is no less extraordinary. In all likelihood, every crystal skull in the world was fashioned by plain old human beings of some sort, and regardless of whether the work was carried out five years ago or five hundred years ago, we still don't have any idea how they did it.


Other Crystal Skulls
There is said to be a total of thirteen crystal skulls in existence today. These skulls are a mystery as profound as the Pyramids of Egypt or Stonehenge. Some of the skulls are believed to be between 5,000 and 36,000 years old.

The British Crystal Skull & the Paris Crystal Skull
There is a pair of similar skulls known as the British Crystal Skull (BM Skull) and the Paris Crystal Skull. Both are said to have been bought by mercenaries in Mexico in the 1890s, possibly at the same time. They are so similar in size and shape that some have guessed that one was copied to produce the other. In comparison to the Mitchell-Hedges skull, they are made of cloudier clear crystal and are not nearly as finely sculpted. The features are superficially etched and appear incomplete, without discretely formed jawbones. The BM Skull was originally suspected to be of Aztec origin thus it was called "Aztec Skull" until recently. It was reclassified from ancient to merely "old" after tool marks were found, such as those made by a jeweler's wheel. The British Museum acquired the skull from Tiffany's in 1897 and then exhibited it for many years in the Museum of Mankind. It is currently on permanent display at the British Museum in the Welcome Trust Gallery.

The Paris Crystal Skull is cataloged as housed at the Paris Museé du Quay Branly and not at the Paris Musee de L'Homme as previously thought. This Skull has a hole in the center of it and some believe that it may have been displayed on a staff or perhaps on a cross. It has a rather primitive look and the Museum classifies it as Pre-Columbian with Mexican origin.

Mayan Crystal Skull & the Amethyst (Ami) Skull
Further examples of primitively sculpted skulls are a couple called the Mayan Crystal Skull and the Amethyst Skull. They were believed discovered in the early 1900s in Guatemala and Mexico, respectively, and were brought to the U.S. by a Mayan priest. The Amethyst Skull is made of purple quartz and the Mayan skull is clear, but the two are otherwise very alike. Just like the Mitchell-Hedges skull, both were studied at Hewlett-Packard, and they too were found to be inexplicably cut against the axis of the crystal.

The majority of ancient crystal skulls could be traced back to Mayan origin. Actually one source claims the Mayan skull was discovered in San Augustine, Guatemala in 1912, but another says that it was found at the Mayan site of Copan in Honduras around 1910. This Skull is closely related to "Ami", the Amethyst Crystal Skull. They are similar in physical size (8.71 pounds for the Mayan and 8.5 pounds for Ami as well as some of their other attributes, except in the case of the Mayan Crystal Skull, it is made of clear quartz. The Mayan Crystal Skull was used as collateral against a loan that was never repaid. Although it is known that a Texas Lawyer was involved, the present location of the Mayan Crystal Skull is unknown.



Texas Crystal Skull (Max)
A skull known as "Max," or the Texas Crystal Skull, is a single-piece, clear skull weighing 18 pounds. It reportedly originated in Guatemala then passed from a Tibetan spiritualist to JoAnn Parks of Houston, Texas. The Parks family allows visitors to observe “Max” and they display the skull at various exhibitions across the U.S. Max is known nationally and internationally. He has been presented in several documentaries world wide. In 1996, Max was researched by the British Museum. In conjunction with the BBC British Network, and Everyman Productions a documentary was produced for Britain. This aired on the A&E Network, and the Discovery Channel all over the world. He was featured on the Travel Channel on a show called "Top 10 Mysteries" and a national show called "Strange Universe", He has done a documentary for Japan and the Spanish Channel, and has been featured in the news, including many newspaper articles, books, and videos world wide.



ET Skull
"ET" is a smoky quartz skull found in the early 20th Century (1906) in Central America (Guatemala). It was given its nickname because its pointed cranium and exaggerated overbite make it look like the skull of an alien being. ET is part of the private collection of Joke Van Dietan who resides in the Netherlands, who tours with her skulls to share the healing powers she believes they possess. It weighs 11 pounds and is of smoky quartz crystal.

Rose Quartz Crystal Skull
The only known crystal skull that comes close to resembling the Mitchell-Hedges skull is one called the Rose Quartz Crystal Skull, which was reported near the border of Honduras and Guatemala. It is not clear in color and is slightly larger than the Mitchell-Hedges, but boasts a comparable level of craftsmanship, including a removable mandible.

Much research is currently being done on the skulls. However, their origin is still a baffling mystery. They seem to defy logic. Everything that is known about lapidary work indicates that the skulls should have been shattered, fractured, or fallen apart when carved.