The Story Behind the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull

By Ed Martinez

Published in the Fall 2009 issue of MyTekLife Magazine

It was a time of exploration and great discoveries. It was the turn of the twentieth century. Many adventurers around the world set forth in search of clues about our past in an almost gold rush-like fever. Among these adventurers was F.A. Mitchell-Hedges (October 1882 - June 1959) from the United Kingdom.

Mitchell-Hedges had a great love for ancient archeology. As described by his daughter Anna Hedges, “He liked to find things out about the past and prove them for himself. He questioned the way things were and didn’t ever accept what other people told him.” Mitchell-Hedges has been labeled the ‘real Indiana Jones.’ During his many adventures that expanded over forty-three years, he discovered about thirty-seven thousand artifacts, which reside in many museums around the world today. He was a remarkable human being who lived an extraordinary life.

He believed that there was a connection between the legendary city of Atlantis and the Mayan civilization. He spent most of his life in pursuit of this connection. In 1924 his daughter Anna discovered a possible key component to this theory during a visit with her father to the ancient Mayan pyramid in Lubaantun, Belize. According to Anna, she discovered the now famous crystal skull buried under a collapsed altar inside the Mayan temple. Ever since the skull’s existence was made public, it has generated a great deal of interest from historians and scientists. The relic’s true origin is unclear and scientific testing has yielded inexplicable results, which has given rise to some controversy through the years.

So why is the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull getting so much attention these days? You may have seen or heard about the movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It is based on the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull.

I had the privilege of interviewing Bill Homann, the current caretaker of the crystal skull. He met Anna Hedges back in 1981. “We became instant friends when we met, and the fact is that we both shared a lot of the same things. We both loved adventure and she was a very spiritual person. It was a blessing and an honor to be around her,” exclaimed Bill. He continued to describe what an amazing life Anna led. “She just had a life that all this stuff just came to her,” he added. “You can probably write a book about every period of her life with the different things that happened to her.” Bill cared for Anna during the last eight years of her life until she passed away in April 2007 at 100 years old. After Anna’s passing, he became the caretaker of the skull.

The existence of the crystal skull is an incredible technological achievement. It was made from a block of clear quartz and is about the size of a human skull. Back in 1970, the skull was analyzed by Hewlett Packard Laboratories. They found that by placing the skull in benzyl alcohol, they were able to match the reflective quality of the crystal. It almost seemed to disappear when submerged in alcohol, which proved that it was made from an incredibly pure type of quartz. Polarized light was then projected through the skull. Using filters, they were able to see wavy stress lines throughout the face of the skull and jawbone. The lines revealed no flaws or mismatches and demonstrated that the skull was not made from modern synthetic crystal, but was of natural origin.

The crystal skull has been on display around the

world for many years. Bill Homann is pictured here in

Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

“At that time, they were able to find three prisms that were put right inside the crystal for directing the light, and also lenses were found on the sides [arches] of the eyes that would direct the light into the eye sockets, which is unbelievable,” added Bill. The polarized light also proved that the skull originated from the same piece of rock crystal, which had to be at least three times the size of the skull. The researchers were astonished by this because pure crystal quartz is one of the hardest materials found on Earth, only slightly softer than diamond. What this means is that quartz is incredibly difficult to carve. It also has the tendency to shatter, since it is also somewhat fragile when carving it. The team determined that if whoever made the skull had today’s technology and used diamond tips to carve it—it would take about a year to complete. Furthermore, they felt that it would be almost impossible to make such an incredible and flawless object with any type of modern tool. The heat, friction and vibration created by the tool would cause the skull to shatter to pieces. “What they did, without knowing it, is they opened themselves up to the fact that there must be somebody way before us with more advanced technology than we have today. We don’t know where it came from or who made it. Was it the Mayans, or was it from before the Mayans? Somebody had some super-advanced technology not only to be able to make the skull, but make it in a way that ... there is a certain way that crystal grows and it’s supposed to be cut in a certain way, and it was cut against those lines and that is another reason why it should not even exist,” concluded Bill.

I asked Bill what he thought the skull was used for. “I think it was used for different things. They talk about Atlantis using power crystals. I think it had something to do with that in its beginning. As it went forward, I believe the Mayans—I think they used it in healing and fire ceremonies. It was also used by high priests as a tool because it was made to look like it talks with a light beam put underneath it and coming out of the eyes. The effect would be pretty powerful to any natives or anybody,” he added. According to Mayan legend, the skull was brought to their civilization by a different race of people at the beginning of their time. “I think inadvertently, Mitchell-Hedges didn’t realize that the crystal skull was that key—if that is the case, that could be the Atlantian-Mayan connection.”

The crystal skull is in pristine condition and it is believed that this was due to the Mayans’ care and admiration for the artifact. In addition, since quartz does not erode, decay or change in any way with time, it could be hundreds if not millions of years old. “The polish is so perfect, and it’s because of the love, the time and the effort that was put into it,” added Bill. According to Anna, the Mayans had told her that the skull was over 100,000 years old and was modeled after the head of a great priest with the hopes of preserving his wisdom forever. The age of the skull still remains a mystery—it cannot be carbon dated, since it does not contain any carbon atoms. It is composed of silicon and oxygen.

The Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull has been called the skull of love. I asked Bill if he felt a connection or an emotion when he is near the skull. “The skull, one of the main things that it does—it works on the heart of man. It allows a universal consciousness, a universal love, a way of being able to tie in and understand the unity between all of mankind, all of the animal kingdom, and realize that everything is part of God’s universe and we are all part of that. It puts people in that frame of feeling and understanding. It opens up their hearts to this universal consciousness and universal love and they are able to take that with them and spread it around the world like a ripple in a pond effect,” exclaimed Bill.

Bill hopes that the skull is able to bring him to places more than it takes him to places. “I want to work with the skull and want to work towards world peace. That is what I really believe in. There are some people in the United Nations that I am going to be working with. I am also supposed to get in touch with the Dalai Lama and work with different people that are interested in using the skull as a tool, using it with the consciousness towards world peace—at a time when you can save the planet, but not save the people from the planet. Because there are many forces that want to pretty much destroy everything,” said Bill. He would like to work toward a diplomatic purpose and open up people’s hearts to a universal love. “There is so much controversy right now and there are a lot of people that are trying to discourage the work of Mitchell-Hedges for some reason. I am not sure why it would bother them so much. There must be a reason behind it,” concluded Bill.

The discovery of the crystal skull is indeed one of the greatest discoveries in human history. The British Museum and the Trocadero Museum in France both have crystal skulls that are noticeably inferior in crystal purity and craftsmanship. At this time it is unknown if they are related to the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull. According to Native American legend, thirteen crystal skulls exist. The skulls are said to be a source of great knowledge and wisdom. The legend also indicates that one day, at a time of great peril, all of the crystal skulls will be discovered and brought back together to reveal their knowledge to all humankind. Bill believes that the Mitchell-Hedges skull is related to the other twelve skulls. He also believes that the others will be found before the year 2012, which is the year the Mayan calendar ends. Only time will tell.