Meet the Skulls

Aficionados often refer to an ancient legend that they say tells of 13 crystal skulls, created thousands of years ago, bearing secret knowledge. The legend is said to claim that someday, at a time of great peril for humankind, the skulls will come together and divulge their secret, preventing a terrible calamity. The origins of the legend are unclear but are said to be found in various forms among Native Americans from Central America to the United States. While no definitive list of the 13 skulls exists, here are some that appear frequently in books and on the web:

MAX
Aka: The Texas Crystal Skull
Location: Houston, Texas, with owners JoAnn and Carl Parks
Jo Ann Parks says she received the skull in 1980 from “a Tibetan-trained healer” named Norbu Chen, who said he got it from local people in Guatemala. It supposedly was found in a Mayan tomb in 1924, although no documentation can confirm that. Parks frequently travels with Max to unite him with other skulls in the U.S. and Europe.

THE MITCHELL-HEDGES SKULL
Aka: The Skull of Doom, The Talking Skull
Location: Chicago, Illinois with Bill Homann
A clear quartz skull with detachable mandible. Allegedly discovered in 1926 by Anna Le Guillon Mitchell-Hedges, adopted daughter of British adventurer and author F.A. Mitchell-Hedges, the Mitchell-Hedges skull is perhaps the most famous. Anna claims that she found the skull buried under a collapsed altar inside a temple in what is now Belize. However, her story contradicts that of her father, who wrote in a letter that he had been the one to discover it. In 1982, psychic Carole Davis claimed to channel the Mitchell-Hedges skull in a series of “trance medium” sessions. The sessions were published in a 1985 book, "The Skull Speaks."

THE SMITHSONIAN CRYSTAL SKULL

Location: Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
In 1992, a heavy package addressed to the nonexistent "Smithsonian Inst. Curator, MezoAmerican Museum, Washington, D.C." was delivered to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, accompanied by an unsigned letter saying the skull was “purported to be part of the (Mexican President) Porfirio Diaz collection…purchased in 1960.” The skull weighs 31 pounds and is known as “the ugliest.” Rumor has it that this skull is cursed, and that its previous owner committed suicide after his wife died and his son was injured in a terrible accident. This skull is reminiscent of another rare artifact at the Smithsonian, the Hope Diamond, which according to popular stories was said to bring death and bad luck to its owners. Smithsonian Anthropolgist Jane Walsh has written an article in “Archaeology” magazine (May/June, 2008) about the Skull in which she describes examining it under scanning electron microscope and concluding that it was made by modern lapidary equipment.

THE BRITISH MUSEUM CRYSTAL SKULL
Aka: The Aztec Skull


Location: The British Museum of Mankind in London, since 1898 The British Crystal Skull is a full-size skull made of a single piece of clear quartz. It is said to have first turned up in the shop of French antiquarian Eugène Boban in 1881, who had possibly purchased it in conjunction with the Paris Skull. When the shop relocated to New York City, the skull was sold to Tiffany & Co., which later sold it at cost to the British Museum. Compared to the Mitchell-Hedges skull, this skull is less detailed and does not have moveable lower jaw. However, it has become an exceptionally popular exhibit at the British Museum of Mankind where it is currently on display

THE PARIS CRYSTAL SKULL
Location: collection at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, France
This skull has a hole drilled vertically through its center, purported to hold a Christian cross. In recent scientific testing by France’s Center for Research and Restoration of the Museums in France (C2RMF), engineers concluded that the skull is "certainly not pre-Colombian … shows traces of polishing and abrasion by modern tools.” The Quai Branly released a statement that the tests "seem to indicate that it was made late in the 19th century." Nonetheless, it has the most primitive of facial features and design among the better-known skulls.

THE SHA NA RA SKULL
Said to be found by owner Nick Nocerino, along with the Rainbow Skull, in Guerro Province, Mexico, through "psychic archaeology." A clear crystal skull with a slight yellowish tinge.

THE RAINBOW SKULL
This skull has been owned by Dael Walker since 1993. Dael claims that, "It was a trade for some other material I had." The trader said it came down to him from his grandfather who had been given it by two priests from Guatemala.

E.T.
Location: On world tour
This smoky quartz skull has “alien-like” features, with a pointed cranium and an overbite. It’s one of 12 crystal skulls owned by Joky Van Dietan (author of “Messengers of Ancient Wisdom”), who believes that E.T. possesses healing powers. Van Dietan travels the world with her skull collection, which includes a contemporary obsidian skull called Darth Vader and another, The Jesuit, that supposedly had a connection with St. Francis of Assisi. E.T. was allegedly discovered by a Mayan family in Guatemala when they were digging in their backyard.

THE AMETHYST CRYSTAL SKULL
Aka: Marin Skull
Made of purple quartz, it was reportedly discovered in Mexico in the early 1900s. It has circular indentations in the temples and a white squiggly line around the circumference. The Marin Skull weighs 5-6 lbs., and it is currently thought to be in the San Francisco area. Rumored to be for sale for $1 million.

THE MAYAN CRYSTAL SKULL
This skull is a single piece of clear quartz, supposedly found in Guatemala in 1912 and brought to the U.S. by a Mayan priest. The only notable difference between the Amethyst and Mayan skulls is that the former is carved of purple quartz while the Mayan is clear. Both skulls were examined at Hewlett-Packard. The results created some controversy and curiosity. It was reportedly found that the skull was cut against the axis of the crystal, which should have caused it to break apart...and yet it was whole.

THE ROSE QUARTZ SKULL
This is the only known crystal skull that comes close to resembling the Mitchell-Hedges skull. It too has a detached mandible (lower jaw). It was reportedly found near the border of Honduras and Guatemala.

THE JOSE INIQUEZ SKULL
Location: Unknown or lost
A Mexican man named Jose Iniquez claimed he found this skull in 1942 at an archaeological site in the Yucatan. He said the skull fulfilled all his dreams and desires. He died in 1993, and the location of his skull is unknown.

THE TIBETAN SKULL
This skull was reportedly found in Tibet in January 1927 by H.C. Beasley. It is carved from rock crystal and has ivory eyes and a third eye between its brows. It has real human teeth and is painted with bronze gilt. This skull is thought to represent the goddess Palden Lhamo. The Hindu counterpart is called Kali, goddess of death.