Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2021/01/08/the-real-story-behind-aztec-crystal-skulls.html
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How about glowing skulls?
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What? Next thing you’ll be telling us is that Himalayan salt crystals don’t give off healing chi, or that aliens didn’t help build the pyramids!
How much bad news do you think we can take?
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But they are still salt, right?
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Thanks to credulous collectors, it’s not exactly unknown for a whole class of ostensible archaeological artifacts to turn out to be forgeries (often with a common origin), but it’s kind of amazing when the class of artifacts becomes so pop-culturally prominent.
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Tasty, tasty salt.
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I have two crystal skulls with a hole in the top for a tea light.
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I got a cow skull. What does that get me?
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Are there still people who believe in these things?
Cosplay codpiece?
Mad Max door knocker?
Skies the limit.
There was a BRC camp that had fresh cow skulls on pikes. Great way to spruce up any suburban yard.
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If Mr44 can wear a cow skull as a codpiece, I’ve an entirely new level of respect for him. I’m thinking a normal human would max out with medium goat skull, but phroarrrrr! Cow skull? Mr44 should be in movies (you know the kind).
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That’s GWAR level respect.
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So for more than a century we were lied to? I want to talk to the manager and I’m not leaving this store till I get satisfaction and a new receipt.
Ten years, if it’s covered in gold leaf and you stole it. Ours, surveying our living room from a high perch, is embedded with turquoise and jade chunks and we bought it.
Meanwhile:
I have the brain of a young boy.
I keep it in a jar on my desk.
–R. Bloch
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So none of these skulls were dug up by reputable archaeologists during actual digs.
And they were only found by a few certain people.
And it never raised suspicions prior to this?
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It did
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No, archaeologists knew they were fake, but collectors had incentives to keep fueling the story. Not only did they never show up in context; no one ever found tools or fragments in workshops. Just whole ones being sold to collectors.
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Someone close to me collects crystal skulls. Well, they’re glass actually, and hollow, and contain(ed) spirits. All but one are empty now and that last won’t survive much longer. No archaeological connection – he just likes skulls on his shelf.
Mark, this is important, if we’re going anywhere I need you to tell me you believe in crystal skulls.
