According to a popular story, English researcher Frederick A. Mitchell-Hedges found the Skull of Doom among Maya ruins in Lubaantun (now Belize) in 1927. However, some people state that the researcher bought the thing at Sotheby’s in London in 1943. No matter what is the origin of the skull, the object of rock crystal is so perfectly worked that it is an invaluable piece of art. If we accept the first hypothesis saying that the skull belonged to Maya then a great number of questions arise in this connection. Researchers state that the Skull of Doom is in a certain way impossible from the technical point of view. The ideal copy of a female skull weighing five kilograms is so wonderfully perfect which could hardly be achieved without some modern methods that Maya knew and of which we have no idea. The skull is polished perfectly. Its jaw is an articulate part detached from the rest of the skull. The Skull of Doom has been the point of interest of researchers from various spheres for a rather long period. And it is sure to draw their attention in the future as well. A group of esoteric experts keep on insisting that the skull reveals supernatural capacities such as telekinesis, exhaling a rare smell and changing colors. But it is difficult to prove that these capacities actually exist.
The Skull of Doom was subjected to various analyses. It is incredible that the item made of fused silica with the hardness seven of the Mohs scale (the scale of mineral hardness from zero to ten) was worked without hard cutting rubies or diamonds. Hewlett-Packard studied the skull in the 1970s and stated that it must have taken 300 years for numerous generations to rub a block of rock crystal down with sand until the perfect Skull emerged. Was it possible that Maya planned this work that could be completed just in three centuries? One thing is for sure is that the Skull of Doom is not unique. Several items of the same type and made of materials similar to quartz were discovered in different parts of the planet. A whole skeleton of a smaller caliber than the human one made of jade was discovered in the area of China and Mongolia. According to various estimates, the skeleton belonged to 3500-2200 B.C. There is some doubt that many of the artifacts are genuine. One thing is for certain that crystal skulls give much pleasure to audacious researchers.
