Lubantuum, Home of the Crystal Skull

My original purpose for going to Belize was to visit Lubantuum, the pyramid where Helen Mitchell-Hedges allegedly found a crystal skull in 1924 when she was 16 years old.
Her father was exploring British Honduras (now Belize) looking for evidence of the legendary Atlantis. Her account of the discovery states that she was the only one small enough to climb into the small entrance of the pyramid where the skull was found.
Thirteen of the crystal skulls have been found in parts of Central America, Mexico, and South America in or near ancient Mayan and Aztec ruins. There is much evidence linking them to the ancient natives of Peru.The skulls are believed to be between 5,000 and 36,000 years old and many people claim they hold healing and magical properties,however no one really knows where they came from or how they were made.
The Mitchell-Hedges skull is the most famous as it resembles a human skull and remarkably, has a removable jaw bone.
It is flawless in it’s design, being made of highly polished crystal, it is so perfect that the most advanced sculptures and engineers of the day have no idea how it could have been made without it either shattering or falling apart during construction.

I had viewed the Crystal Skull several months earlier while it was on display in Indianapolis, it is a fascinating piece of art work, being the same size as a human skull, it is carved out of pure crystal and is flawless with no signs of any carving or chiseling whatsoever.

The Lubantuum pyramid lies in ruin, midway between Dangriga and Punta Gorda in southern Belize,it is  reachable only by negotiating a quarter mile cow path that leads up from a dirt road,
As our van approached the site, the only marking from the road was a small sign, stopping the van we began the ascent to Lubantuun , gently finding our way between the cow patties and mud puddles we arrived at the site.
 The pyramid is being slowly restored, but much work still needs to be done. While construction is going on continuously, a guide is always on site to give an interesting and informative talk of the site, showing  the cavity where the crystal skull was supposedly found.


The view from the top was fantastic,standing on the top of the pyramid and above the tree line , looking eastward,several miles away the Gulf of Mexico could be seen . All in all it was an interesting experience, it is interesting to note that at one time there was a thriving civilization here amidst the jungle, or was it a jungle then?






Gary is a travel writer and photographer living in Sarasota, Florida. He maintains a website featuring some of his travel photos and markets a line of products featuring many of his photos.



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