Page 28 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - September 2023
P. 28
28 The Mystery of the Crystal Skull Solved
THE MYSTERY OF THE
CRYSTAL SKULL
SOLVED
A strange fad emerged in the early
20th century. Life-size facsimiles of
human skulls carved from clear quartz
began showing up in the collections of
museums and wealthy treasure
hunters. Purported to have magical
powers, these crystal skulls came with
action-packed accounts of their
discoveries and otherworldly tales of
their origins. But who made them?
When, where, and how they were
made? That's the mystery. Here's the
story of the most fascinating of them
all the Mitchell-Hedges skull.
late 19th century, the true nature of these studying the artifact in his lab, Dorland
THE PLACE OF FALLEN Mesoamerican artifacts has been a theorized that it was carved not from one
STONES source of heated debate - and the most but from 3 crystals. But he needed better
controversial is the Mitchell- Hedges equipment to prove it, so he took the skull
British Honduras, 1924: intrepid British skull. The big question: who made it? to Hewlett-Packard’s crystal labs in Santa
adventurer F. A. Mitchell-Hedges is Theories range from the ancient Mayans Clara, California. Initial test determined
exploring the ruins of the lost Mayan city two cultures that predate them (such as that it is comprised of a single crystal but
of Lubaantun, which means, “Place of the people who traveled to Central that's about the only conclusive thing that
Fallen Stones.” joining him on the America from the lost city of Atlantis). they were able to find.
expedition is his adopted daughter Anna. There are even claims that the crystal
It's her 17th birthday. While the rest of skulls were deposited on Earth by aliens. • It appeared that whoever made the
the Mitchell-Hedges team is taking a F.A. Mitchell-Hedges first referred to his thing did it in “total disregard to the
siesta, Anna climbs to the top of a as the “Skull of Doom,” The power of natural crystal axis,” said Dorland. if you
pyramid to get a view of the ocean. But which he said could “kill a man.” and carve against the axis, the crystal should
something at her feet catches her eye, even though he said he wanted to be shatter, or, as one crystallographer put it,
there's a light emanating from a hole in buried with it, when he died in 1959 it “the damn thing shouldn't even be.”
the stones. She crouches down and peers became the property of his daughter,
into the dark room, and there, under Anna, and she wasn't sure what to do • The HP techs could find no
crumbled altar, is a glowing human skull with it. “It is a thing of evil in the wrong microscopic indications of cut marks
made of clear quartz crystal. Anna runs hands, End Quote she said at the time. made by metal instruments, so exactly
back down the pyramid as fast as she can how it was made remained a mystery.
yelling for her father to come and see AXIS OF POWER
what she found. Later, they lower Anna - • Further tests determined that the
the smallest member of the team - via a In 1964 Anna Mitchell-Hedges lent the skull was probably polished by hand with
rope into the room. She picks up the crystal skull to a San Francisco art sand over a period of time “300 man-
heavy artifact and can immediately feel conservator named Frank Dorland in the years of effort.”
its power. hopes of finding out where the Crystal
Skull came from. “The first time I kept By that point (around 1970), Anna
The local Mayans later tell Mitchell- the skull in my home overnight,” Mitchell-Hedges had had enough of
Hedges that if the government finds out Dorland told author Richard Garvin in scientific studies. She took a greyhound
about their discovery, the crystal skull his book The Crystal Skull, “I was bus to California, retrieved her crystal
will be confiscated, so they give the awakened by unusual noises. It sounded skull from Dorland, and never let
father and daughter permission to take it like a large jungle cat was prowling scientists near it for the rest of her life.
out of the country. through the house, accompanied by the
sound of chimes and bells. When we got (Continued on Page 29)
THE SKULL OF DOOM up the next morning, our possessions
were strewn all about the house. Yet, all THE BEST CLASSIC RADIO STATION
That's one story of where this crystal the doors and windows were still closed WITH THE HITS THAT MADE MUSIC
skull came from. There are other stories, and locked from the inside.” HISTORY IN THE 60’S, 70’S, 80’S AND 90’S
IS NOW ON-AIR IN ST. CATARINES AND
and other skulls: one is on display in the AROUND THE WORLD
Musee du Quai Branly in Paris; other The skull spent six years in the care of ON-LINE
CLASSIC 1220 CFAJ
lives in the archives of the Smithsonian Dorland, who, like others who have WWW.CLASSIC1220.CA
Museum in Washington, D.C. since the owned it, became obsessed with it. after