Eugène Boban and the Aztec Crystal Skulls

Record summary

French-Mexican antiquities dealer Eugène Boban handled several crystal skulls later marketed as pre-Columbian objects, including examples associated with Mexico and subsequently held by European and North American museums. Their supposed ancient manufacture became a popular mystery because of claims about advanced lapidary technology. Modern examination generally treats the best-known specimens as nineteenth- or twentieth-century fabrications, although provenance histories differ by object. This lead is useful for studying collecting networks, museum authentication, and the creation of archaeological mysteries.