Mystics spent decades claiming that thirteen ancient Mesoamerican crystal skulls held massive psychic energy, could cure cancer, and were possibly dropped off by hyper-advanced alien tourists.

A closer look

Mystics spent decades claiming that thirteen ancient Mesoamerican crystal skulls held massive psychic energy, could cure cancer, and were possibly dropped off by hyper-advanced alien tourists. Museum curators eventually put these mystical artifacts under electron microscopes and discovered undeniable tool marks from nineteenth-century rotary jewelers' wheels, proving they were mostly carved in Germany during the Victorian era. It takes a special kind of dedication to look at a shiny paperweight bought from a shady European antique dealer and decide it holds the telepathic secrets of the lost city of Atlantis. Modern crystal enthusiasts still insist these factory-made desk ornaments are broadcasting extraterrestrial frequencies, proving that you can absolutely sell anything if you just attach a vaguely indigenous backstory and promise it cures seasonal depression