The story of the skulls has already proved both a successful BBC documentary and serialisation in the Daily Mail newspaper. Now, the people behind the story, Chris Morton and Ceri Louise Thomas, have published a book to accompany their earlier projects. The central idea is that, among Native Americans, it was believed there exist 13 crystal skulls the size of human skulls said to contain information regarding the origins and future of mankind. According to the legend, all of the crystal skulls will be found and reunited at a time when the world is in great peril, to disclose to us their information, which will prove vital to the survival of our species. At this point, things are starting to sound completely far-fetched and not unlike the plotline for a new Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter novel, until you take into account that, fairly recently, a vast array of crystal skulls have in actual fact started to be discovered around the globe …

In all honesty, this is not an easy book to review. At several points during reading it becomes necessary to remind yourself you are in fact reading a non-fictional account and not one of the late Robert Jordan's epic fantasies. It is a book that continuously introduces new ideas, only to have them either lead nowhere or be quashed entirely. It is one that inspires both awe and scepticism on every page. Above all, it is an extremely informative account packed with mind-bending facts. Moreover, I feel it is arrogance to believe that humans are the only thing of importance in this world and indeed the universe, to believe that there is nothing unseen above and beyond us. With this attitude, it makes absorbing the information in these pages that little bit easier.

A personal favourite chapter deals specifically with the extraordinary properties of quartz crystal, and how it can be used to store information much like a computer. Indeed, as quartz is used in a great deal of technology in our times to store and process data, the argument is that, theoretically, there could indeed be important information stored within these skulls, waiting to be unlocked. Another interesting chapter suggests that thoughts may not originate from inside our own brains, but rather be carried to us from the ether, much like sound waves. In re-thinking how the human brain and mind work, this book proves to be hugely ambitious and, at times, more than a little confusing. However, in their favour, the authors manage to write about their discoveries in a very straightforward and mostly easy-to-understand manner. (As a side-note, it has to be said that Ceri Louise Thomas is the more fluid and therefore better of the two writers, as Morton's chapters often prove repetitive and full of clichéd similes).

As you'd except from a book of this magnitude, nothing truly concrete is revealed, no ultimate climax is reached and a great many questions are left unanswered. Instead, the reader is left to speculate over the facts and hearsay and perhaps reach their own conclusion. That is not to say there is no point investing time in the this book, as the journey itself proves well worth the effort. And while dedicating your book to "the earth, and all her children" is probably not the best way to ensure your findings are taken seriously and not written off as nonsense, The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls managed to persuade me to believe a great deal more than I originally expected.


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Crystal Skulls Fuel Controversy, Fascination
By Richard A. Lovett and Scot Hoffman

Crystal skulls are not uncommon or terribly mysterious. Thousands are produced every year in Brazil, China, and Germany. But there are a handful of these rather macabre objects that have fueled intense interest and controversy among archaeologists, scientists, spiritualists, and museum officials for more than a century.


There are perhaps a dozen of these rare crystal skulls in private and public collections. Some are crystal clear, others of smoky or colored quartz. Some are actual human size and of very fine detail, while others are smaller and less refined. All are believed to originate from Mexico and Central America.

Many believe these skulls were carved thousands or even tens of thousands of years ago by an ancient Mesoamerican civilization. Others think they may be relics from the legendary island of Atlantis or proof that extraterrestrials visited the Aztec sometime before the Spanish conquest.

Supernatural Fascination

Stories about the skulls focus heavily on their perceived supernatural powers.

Joshua Shapiro, coauthor of Mysteries of the Crystal Skulls Revealed, on his Web site cites claims of healings and expanded psychic abilities from people who have been in the presence of such skulls.

"We believe the Crystal Skulls are a form of computer which are able to record energy and vibration that occur around them," he writes. " The skull will pictorially replay all events or images of the people who have come into contact with them (i.e. they contain the history of our world)."

Most archaeologists and scientists are skeptical, to say the least.

Skulls were prominent in ancient Mesoamerican artwork, particularly among the Aztec, so the connection between these artifacts and these civilizations is apt.

"t was a symbol of regeneration," says Michael Smith, a professor of anthropology at Arizona State University. "There were several Aztec gods that were represented by skulls, so they were probably invoking these gods. I don't think they were supposed to have specific powers or anything like that."

All Fakes?

In addition, recent electron microscope analyses of skulls by the British Museum and the Smithsonian Institution revealed markings that could only have been made with modern carving implements. Both museums estimate that their skulls date to sometime in the mid- to late 1800s, a time when public interest in ancient cultures was high and museums were eager for pieces to display.

Its examinations and the fact that no such skull has ever been uncovered at an official archaeological excavation led the British Museum to extrapolate that all of the famed crystal skulls are likely fakes.

There is passion on both sides of the issue, and the fact remains that no one knows for sure who made these skulls and when. And since there is currently no way to accurately determine the age of such inorganic objects, the mystery will likely continue. In fact, it's sure to get a boost in 2008 with the release of the action-adventure sequel Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.





The famed crystal skulls of ancient Mesoamerica have been a source of mystery and controversy for decades.
The handful of known skulls have defied even the most advanced scientific efforts to determine who made
them, when, and most puzzling, how. This specimen, owned by the British Museum in London, was originally
thought to have been made by the Aztec of Mexico but was later determined to be a fake.
Photograph by AFP/Getty Images

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