00:00.56
archpodnet
Hello and welcome back to episode 97 of the pseudo archeology podcast and in the last segment we were talking about the crystal skull of Belize and I gave you guys the setup to the story. How basically the. Idea was it was found at a maya site called lu ban tune in 1924 by the daughter of an explorer swashbuggler archeology guy on her none birthday now I had teased to you. That that is not precisely correct and it's not but how do we figure out? What's right, none we have to take a look at the dad so who was this explorer Swashbuckler Archeology guy ah his name was fa mitchell hedges k and I guess if you're a super cool swashbuckle guy. You don't go by a full name. You go by f a right? So that's who he is fafa Mitchell Hedges and as I looked into this guy. I realize that I've seen this caricature lots of times before I think you could call this guy an adventurer but really underneath it all. He's basically a looter a charlatan. And a ruthless self promoter. He's not alone. You know you get a lot of these guys in the late 1880 s yeah early nineteen hundreds right? And that's right when he's operating he's doing what he's doing really in the 1920 s he was married in england right? But he left his wife at home for basically years on end so they were really just married in name only fa mitchell hedges had a life just outside of his wife and outside of his marriage right? He just he was known to have. multiple multiple affairs ah and and really the affairs were key for him to continue his looting charlatan life. Yeah because what he would do is he was a attractive looking dude and what he would do would. Be of course to woo None of the local wealthy women and then use their cash to fund his adventures right to fund his trips and just you know just leaving his wife at home. Whatever man I'm out adventuring.

05:29.20
archpodnet
And what one of the most interesting bits that I learned as I delve deep in here. We tend to talk about his daughter Anna as his adoptive daughter right? That's the story that you'll see if you read kind of short accounts of this. But the more you look the chances are that she was actually his real daughter that Anna was not adopted but they had to say that because she was born out of wedlock right? He was just cheating on his wife right and left and he had a baby but instead of going. Ah, sorry honey I had a baby out of wedlock he instead in the classic like narcissistic charlottan way he was like you know out of the goodness of my heart I found this child and I'm going to give her a home. Um.

07:21.10
archpodnet
Oh man so he lives this life of like you know, swashbuckling lying which he puts all together in a autobiography that he writes in 1954 so ffamitchell hedges is going to die in 1959 but in 1954 he he publishes this autobiography that's called danger my ally yes and I don't even need to tell you what this is about and how this goes right? It's just. Fall of like silly cliches and lies he talks about how he was like a cowboy in the american west he talks about how he was this like super cool waiter at this awesome restaurant in downtown New Orleans and he oh he talks about riding with ponccho va right? you go oh my god and. And of course the theme is going to be how cool he is and you know a life well lived is the only life there is right that kind of thing and of course he's going to mix in working at Lou Banoon and be police and he's going to gin up the crystal skull and. The digging and and you know in his account. The crystal skull is going to be found on the top of the pyramid and the as the lightning and thunder came down and yeah, couple people had a heart attack and died right? as he pulled it out from the grips of the earth right? You know you know. That's what it is but as we have fun with Fa Mitchell Hedges we also have to realize that there are a couple things here that start to hurt his story I'm I'm I'm so sorry famitchellhedges I'm I'm going to expose you. Oh and I'm also ah throwing a little sorry out to his daughter Anna at the same time I'm sorry to you too. My friend one of the most damning bits of factual evidence in this whole thing is that yes there was a bill of sale that was found. For the crystal skull so it can be proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that the crystal skull was made not only made using modern tools right? Modern drills and this kind of thing which is shocking to no one but the part that's crazy. Is that the bill of sale is from 1943 oh figure that one out I'll give you a none basically.

12:47.58
archpodnet
The skull wasn't found in Belize at all now it actually is true that Fa Mitchell Hedges did work in Belize in the 1920 s although it looks like he worked there in 1926 and 1927 not 1924 but good god in this story. My friends that lie is the least of it. So at least he did. He did actually work in lu band tune he did some looting and whatever that lu band tune in the 1920 s but he bought the skull in 1943 and he bought it from sohaby's and he actually didn't buy it in an auction. I guess the story is that the skull itself didn't sell in auction but people like this people like fa mitchell hedge is always looking for the deal. He sees that the skull doesn't sell and a couple months later he gets in touch with sethaby's and he's like hey man I see that doesn't sell you know let's say they were selling it for four hundred bucks I see you were selling that for four hundreder bucks I'll give you 200 and they said okay so he gets it at a discount price in 1943 now when shown this overwhelming evidence Anna the daughter of course. Doubles down and says now it was found in Belize. But then my dad sold it the southbys but then he bought it back in 1943 which ah makes you know absolutely no sense of course but that is wild just just that. That it's not from the 1920 s at all and I have another great piece of info that shows you that it was not from the 1920 s nobody ever talked about it until after the 1940 s so if it was actually found on an archeology crew. Even if if it was found by the daughter if it was found. In 1924 wouldn't the rest of the crew talk about it wouldn't the dad splash it all over the newspapers and stuff. Of course they would as an archeologist I can guarantee you guys that we all talk amongst each other. And we all talk about the stuff we found and if we found something that cool. It would not stay a secret for more than 20 minutes so the fact that there is absolutely no talk of this so ah of this reportedly amazing artifact. No talk about it all until post 1940 s post world war None in the times of the dad's autobiography. Ok so the dad buys it in 1943 after all and then the daughter gets it.

18:08.14
archpodnet
As as the years go by I'm sure she just sort of takes um ah takes it at some point. Maybe maybe when the dad dies and she takes his stuff I do think that well of course Anna is lying but it's one of those really interesting times where. She told the story so many times I'm sure she believes her own lies and people who believe their own lies are like the best liars because they think they're telling the truth and they will then defend their lies and that is precisely what Anna did for years and years and you got to realize this person lived to be 100 years old so she's doubling down on lies. She originally made in the 1940 s or fifty s and by that point they're going to be totally true in her head. So what comes next as we talk about this is okay, what happens. After the 1950 s he had the dad writes his autobiography danger my ally and then he dies a couple years later what then ok so there's a lot of little twists and turns here too but basically Anna has the crystal skull. And she shows it for private parties and stuff I guess the idea is you could get in touch with her and for a cost of course you could maybe go to her house and she would lay it out and kind of give you the story and throughout the sixty s and seventy s this would happen right? and the hollywood. Elite got into this little bit. The Shirley mcclaans of the world went to go check this out I even believe that William Shatner checked it out at some point to but it just sort of makes sense that it'll hit that kind of new agey situation of the sixty s and seventy s it'll fit right in right. The whole new age vibe that we've talked about in the past like when we talk about Eric Vo dininekin charts of the gods. You know, let me say that again. Well when we talk about Eric Vo dininekin and chariots as the god let me do that again. So when we talk about. Eric Vo Dinahkin and chariots of the gods. We see this resurgent of all this stuff in the late 1960 s and into the 70 s so the crystal skull of belief gets gets wrapped right up in this this tidal wave of of new age. Now in the late 1960 s there's a guy who I believe was an air force pilot. But I may have beginning that wrong. He was in the military. He's a military guy this guy named last name of Horman this guy Horman hears about the crystal skull and just thinks it's really really awesome and he just he just can't get it out of his head and he just wants to be a part of the.

23:45.26
archpodnet
Situation. He happens to be 40 years younger than Anna but he gets in touch with her and they kind of become a team so they continue to push the story through the 70 s and 80 s and 90 s and they're just adding to this. Fake story right? and they're adding quotes like it's the skull of tomb or how about the high priest used it to will death or we can go with it is a thing. Of evil or one of my favorites. It activates a special part of the brain with its vibration. So when you got this dead. You got to turn the page right? so. They they push this thing throughout the next several decades. Um, they actually end up getting married which I think happens when Anna was in her 90 s and I think they just did it so that that the guy the husband could get the crystal skull. You know as as part of kind of the. Marriage settlement after she dies. Um, and that's why really That's why you still hear about it. The the husband is still alive I believe and what has kept us alive is you have 3 frauds. You have the dad you have the daughter. And you have the husband that have breathed life into this thing for really the past eighty years right? and with all of this How do I think this should all end. What do I want out of this. Well I'll be back in a minute to tell you.