THE THEORIES

While most famous crystal skulls come with claims of ancient origin, no definitive evidence—archival or scientific—has emerged to provide exact dates. Carbon-dating, the technique most often used to confirm antiquity, does not work on quartz crystal. Here are the most common theories for where and how they were made:

Ancient Mesoamerica
Stories trace many crystal skulls to the ancient Maya (approximately 1800 BC to 1500 AD) or Aztec (approximately 1100 to 1521) cultures of the Americas. Both civilizations depicted skulls in art and used them in ceremonies, but no crystal skull has ever been discovered in an official archaeological excavation. Aztec “death heads” were usually carved in basalt and were much cruder in execution. The Maya usually carved skulls on limestone. ¹ Scientists have pointed out that ancient Mesoamericans did not have adequate tools to carve quartz crystal. In 1970, scientists at Hewlett-Packard who examined several skulls speculated that the Mayans could have created crystal skulls by patiently rubbing the quartz down with sand and water by hand. Even so, they estimated it would have taken "300 man-years of effort." ²

Atlantis
F.A. Mitchell-Hedges, who claimed to have discovered the Skull of Doom in Lubaantun, Belize, believed that Atlantis, not the Middle East, was the cradle of civilization. ³ In 1935 he told The New York American newspaper, "Atlantis existed. Its engulfment caused 'The Flood,' a cataclysm that wiped out millions. Included was this advanced cultural race." Another proponent of the Atlantis theory was Edgar Cayce, “The Sleeping Prophet,” who was perhaps the most famous psychic in America from the 1920s to the 1940s. He claimed to have seen in “life readings” that ancient Atlanteans used crystals to produce spiritual energy.

Aliens
"We came to your earth from a different Galaxy." Those were the words of the Mitchell-Hedges skull itself in 1982, when psychic Carole Davis "channeled" the skull in a series of trance sessions. ⁴ Some modern crystal skull owners believe they were gifts from an alien civilization and that they store secret knowledge that might help humankind in a time of peril.

European craftsmen
The latter half of the 19th century, when most crystal skulls first appeared, was a time when many in Europe were fascinated with skulls, and museums were just beginning to collect artifacts from ancient Mesoamerica. Jane MacLaren Walsh of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History has argued that by far the most likely explanation for the crystal skulls’ existence is that they were made by European artisans and sold as fake artifacts. Examined under scanning electronic microscope, several skulls reveal markings that match those made by relatively modern lapidary equipment. ⁵

SOURCES
1. "Mystery of the Crystal Skulls," By Jane MacLaren Walsh, Archaeology magazine, May/June 2008
2. The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls, By Chris Morton and Ceri Louise Thomas, Bear & Company, 1997.
3. The Message of the Crystal Skulls: From Atlantis to the New Age, by Alice Bryant and Phyllis Galde, Llewellyn Publications, 1989.
4. The Skull Speaks through Carole Davis, Amhrea Publishing, 1985.
5. "Mystery of the Crystal Skulls," By Jane MacLaren Walsh, Archaeology magazine, May/June 2008