The Man Who Invented Aztec Crystal Skulls

Eugène Boban began life in humble circumstances in Paris, traveled to the California Gold Rush, and later became a recognized authority on pre-Columbian cultures. He also invented an entire category of archaeological artifact: the Aztec crystal skull. By his own admission, he successfully “palmed off” a number of these crystal skulls on the curators of Europe’s leading museums. How could that happen, and who was this man? Detailed are the travels, self-education, and archaeological explorations of Eugène Boban; this book also explores the circumstances that allowed him to sell fakes to museums that would remain undetected for over a century.

The crystal skulls are a mystery as profound as the Pyramids of Egypt, the Nazca Lines of Peru, or Stonehenge.

By exploring the processes of collecting, which challenge the bounds of normally acceptable practice, this book debates the practice of collecting 'difficult' objects, from a historical and contemporary perspective; and discusses the acquisition of objects related to war and genocide, and those purchased from the internet, as well as considering human remains, mass produced objects and illicitly traded antiquities. The aim is to apply a critical approach to the rigidity of museums in maintaining essentially nineteenth-century ideas of collecting; and to move towards identifying priorities for collection policies in museums, which are inclusive of acquiring 'difficult' objects. Much of the book engages with the question of the limits to the practice of collecting as a means to think through the implementation of new strategies.

Crystal skulls are human-skull hardstone carvings often made of clear or milky white quartz known as “rock crystal.” They are allegedly pre-Columbian Mesoamerican artifacts and can be found in the permanent collections of a number of world-class museums, including the Smithsonian and the British Museum. In occult and metaphysical circles, the skulls have magical and healing qualities: Anna Mitchell-Hedges (owner of a particularly famous skull) claimed that the skull could cause visions and cure cancer and that its magical properties could be used to kill. Drunvalo Melchizedek claims in Serpent of Light that he stumbled upon descendants of the ancient Mayans who possess crystal skulls for use in religious ceremonies in Yucatan temples. Jamie Sams writes of the skulls’ association with Native American mythology. In this book, best-selling occultist and crystal expert Judy Hall provides a basic primer on crystal skulls: What they are Where they are found Their role in legend and lore around the world Their uses for physical and psychic healing Also included here in this stunning introductory text is an examination of the prominent “skull keepers” of the past 100 years and how to use and communicate with a crystal skull. This is a terrific book for those interested in occult and ancient mysteries and/or the power of gems and crystals.

The story of the mystery, myth and magic of the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull discovered in a lost Mayan city during a search for Atlantis.

Crystal is one of the most fascinating substances in nature. The crystalline structure lends itself uniquely to various adaptations, including information storage, and crystal technologies are at the cutting edge of advancements in nanotechnology and computing. Crystal skulls are one of the most intriguing enigmas in history, archeology and metaphysical science. Does the fact that they are carved from crystal enable them to store information and interact with human thought waves? There is a lot of evidence to suggest this is so. Rogue archeologist and explorer David Hatcher Childress introduces the technology and lore of crystals, and then plunges into a full-on search for the source of the crystal skulls. The history of Mesoamerica, where the skulls were said to originate, is rich with the mystical, magical sorcery of the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Maya and Aztecs. The turbulent times of the Mexican Revolution form the backdrop for the rollicking adventures of Ambrose Bierce, the renowned journalist who went missing in the jungles in 1913, and F.A. Mitchell-Hedges, the notorious adventurer who emerged from the jungles with the most famous of the crystal skulls. Childress brings it all to life with his characteristic panache. Eminent researcher Stephen Mehler shares his extensive knowledge of and experience with crystal skulls. Having been involved in the field since the 1980s, he has personally examined many of the most influential skulls, and has worked with the leaders in crystal skull research, including the inimitable Nick Nocerino, who developed a meticulous methodology for the purpose of examining the skulls, Get the lowdown on the most recent developments in the world of the crystal skulls from one in the know!

Throughout his career, Eduardo Galeano has turned our understanding of history and reality on its head. Isabelle Allende said his works "invade the reader's mind, to persuade him or her to surrender to the charm of his writing and power of his idealism." Mirrors, Galeano's most ambitious project since Memory of Fire, is an unofficial history of the world seen through history's unseen, unheard, and forgotten. As Galeano notes: "Official history has it that Vasco Núde Balboa was the first man to see, from a summit in Panama, the two oceans at once. Were the people who lived there blind??" Recalling the lives of artists, writers, gods, and visionaries, from the Garden of Eden to twenty-first-century New York, of the black slaves who built the White House and the women erased by men's fears, and told in hundreds of kaleidoscopic vignettes, Mirrors is a magic mosaic of our humanity.

The frontier between 'law' and 'politics' is not always clear-cut. A large area exists where courts operate, but where governments and parliaments also make decisions. Tim Koopmans compares the way American, British, French and German law and politics deal with different issues: in many instances subjects which are highly 'political' in one country constitute legal issues in another. Is there, for example a 'sovereign Parliament' (as there is in Britain), or will courts control the compatibility of statutes with the Constitution (as in the United States and Germany)? How far can courts go in controlling the legality of administrative action? Are there general legal theories about the frontier between what courts and what politics can do? Koopmans considers case law on a range of issues, including human rights protection, federalism, separation of powers, equal protection and the impact of European and international law.