19世纪中叶的一天，在墨西哥的港口城市韦拉克鲁斯，一位法国少年欧仁·博班从来自欧洲的船上下来踏上了墨西哥的土地。 在青年时代，热爱美洲文化的他进行了自己的考古探险之旅，期间收集各种奇异的文物。 And began selling archaeological artifacts and natural history specimens through a family business in Mexico City. 几年后因为能讲流利的西班牙语和纳瓦特尔语，他受到了法国皇帝拿破仑三世委托，代领一支探险队搜集古代美洲的文物和艺术品用于在第2届巴黎世界博览会中展览。
The port of Veracruz in the 19th century
Ancient legends of the ancient American Indians
There is an ancient legend among the American Indians that there are 52 crystal skulls in ancient times, of which 13 have been preserved by the Mayans for generations, and the rest of the crystal skulls are scattered in all corners of the world, where they are unknown. The crystal skull has a delicate appearance, the chin can be freely removed, it can make a chanting sound, and even the ability to talk to people.
American Indians
Ancient American Indians speculated that the crystal skull hid major secrets, even the fate of mankind. He also warned future generations that all the skulls must be found by the end of 2012 to activate some kind of supernatural force that will help humanity survive the catastrophe of extinction
Eugène Boban
1855年在第2届巴黎世界博览会中的托卡德罗博物馆，欧仁·博班带领的探险队找到的文物和艺术品引起了轰动。 不久后他顺利的成为了法国派驻墨西哥的“科学委员会”（Commission scientifique du Mexique）的成员。 他也顺理成章的成为了一名古董商，同时服务于墨西哥皇帝马西米连诺一世，成为了皇室的御用考古学家。 After returning to France, he opened an antiquities shop in Paris in the 1870s.
The legend of the crystal skull attracted the attention of many people, and in order to satisfy the strong curiosity and intellectual curiosity about the crystal skull, in 1926 the name Mitchell. The explorers of Higgis organized an expedition into the rainforest to the mysterious Mayan ruins of Honduras. Devote yourself to the search for crystal skulls and try to demystify the crystal skull.
Eugène Boban at the 2nd Paris World's Fair
Discover crystal skulls
With later Mitchell. According to Higgis, the expedition traveled painstakingly along the waterway to Honduras in Central America. With the help of local Mayans, the expedition finally discovered the ruins of an ancient Mayan city in the desolate tropical jungle of present-day Belize. It's an ancient city buried in the rainforest, and the expedition took nearly a year to clear it out of the vines and trees.
The mayan old city of Belize
With Mitchell. Heggis was accompanied by his adopted daughter Anna. After cleaning up the passage to the ancient city, 17-year-old Anna was so excited about everything in front of her that she couldn't wait to climb to the top of the pyramid at the highest point of the ancient city, and while Anna was taking in the scenery, she suddenly noticed that there was something shining deep in the crack of the pyramid. She immediately told her adoptive father, Mitchell. Higgis and the members of the expedition climbed to the top of the pyramid and found the upper part of the legendary crystal skull in the loose stone at the crack. Mitchell. Hygis ordered the team to continue digging. Three months later, they found the lower half of the crystal skull 25 feet away.
Mitchell. Hygis and adopted daughter Anna
This adventure trip got Mitchell. Hygis rose to prominence in Europe, and for a time in the 1930s, the adventurer hosted a radio show every Sunday night in New York City. Mitchell. Higgis always tells the dramatic story of his travels, often including escaping from the clutches of "barbarians" or jungle beasts.
Mitchell. Hygis
Raiders of the Lost Ark 4: Kingdom of Crystal Skulls
In May 2008, a blockbuster film directed by Stephen Spielberg and produced by George Lucas was released in the United States and quickly became a global sensation. 电影讲述了在1957年，印第安纳·琼斯博士过着很平静的生活，但是他随后必须要对抗一个女苏联情报干员艾琳娜·史帕可博士，争夺水晶头骨的故事。 The story sets the crystal skeleton as a possible alien or ancient Mayan civilization. The 'Crystal Skull', a relic of a super-ancient civilization, is a huge energy amplifier that makes up the crystal structure of the skeleton and can produce thousands of reflections of light.
Many people's knowledge of the crystal skull stems from this film, but what is surprising is that just a few months after the film's release, the archaeological community has a very different view of the crystal skull.
Movie posters
The truth about the crystal skull
In 2008, a team of British and American scientists used electron microscopy and X-ray crystallization to inspect crystal skulls treasured in the British Museum and the Smithsonian Museum in the United States, made of Brazilian colorless crystals. A detailed analysis of the surface of the crystal skull reveals very fine rotational scratches near the orbit, teeth, and skull, and it is clear that this cutting and polishing technique originated from a jewelry processing device called the "rotating wheel", which the ancient Maya did not master, and this tool did not exist on the pre-Columbian American continent. Margaret Sachs, a scientist at the British Museum, examined the British Museum and Smithsonian skulls under an optical and scanning electron microscope and finally determined that they were carved with relatively modern gem equipment.
Crystal skull of the British Museum
It has been confirmed that the crystal skulls of the British Museum and the Museum of Humanity in Paris were purchased by French antique dealer Eugène Boban. He was a businessman in Mexico City from 1860 to 1880. According to the Smithsonian Institution, the crystal skulls were acquired by Eugène Boban from Germany. At the end of the 19th century, counterfeit Indian antiques were rampant in the trading market. The German town of Oberstein was famous in the late 19th century for importing Brazilian quartz to make handicrafts. Eugène Boban also confidently sold some private collections to museums and collectors, some of which were found to be fakes.
The crystal skull of the museum
Today, many still refuse to acknowledge that the crystal skulls are imitations, and these crystal skulls continue to be exhibited as artifacts in museums, despite their constant exposure to lack of archaeological background and obvious traces of counterfeiting.
What does the future hold for the skull? We keep waiting!