By CHRIS MORTON and CERI LOUISE THOMAS
Last updated at 15:43pm on 17th May 2008
The lamplight glimmered softly, turning an ordinary suburban sitting room into a place of eerie mystery.
Before us, in the semi-darkness, sat Carole Wilson, a renowned psychic whose strange powers had previously been used by police officers trying to solve murder cases and find the missing.
But now they were being deployed in an attempt to unlock the secret of one of the most extraordinary objects we had ever beheld - a life-size human skull fashioned from breathtakingly pure crystal.
As it was placed on a small turntable so that Carole could touch and manipulate it from all angles, specks of light danced and flickered on its surface.
Then Carole closed her eyes and emitted an unearthly high-pitched hum before speaking in an otherworldly, staccato voice, nothing like her own.
"You seek to know the origins of this receptacle," said the echoing voice. "I tell you that it was made many thousands of years ago. It was not made using what you call the physical. It was moulded into its present form by thought."
So began the latest astonishing twist in our quest to find the truth about the 13 crystal skulls said to have come into the possession of the Mayan people, one of the ancient world's most sophisticated and mysterious races before their civilisation crumbled more than 1,000 years ago. They were supposedly lost for many centuries in the jungles and oceans of Central America but legend has it that they contain ancient wisdom vital for the survival of mankind, an idea that has clearly captured the imagination of Steven Spielberg whose new blockbuster, Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, is out next week.
Set during the Cold War, the film revolves around the intrepid archaeologist's attempts to stop the Soviets abusing the information harboured within the mysterious skulls.
But while Dr Jones's escapades are likely to delight summer cinema audiences, our research suggests that the real skulls have a more sinister purpose: to warn of a series of catastrophes that will soon engulf the world.
The events which led us to our haunting encounter with Carole Wilson began when we were on holiday, touring Mayan ruins in Guatemala.
It was there that we first heard the myth describing the existence of the 13 ancient skulls.
The tales told how they were the size of human skulls, had moving jaws
and were said to speak or sing.
They were also thought to contain answers to some of the greatest mysteries of the universe.
According to Mayan teachings, all 13 skulls would be rediscovered one day and brought together for their wisdom to be made available.
But there was one proviso: the human race must first be sufficiently evolved, morally and spiritually, so as not to misuse the information.
It was the perfect yarn to take home from an overseas adventure, but we dismissed it as pure fiction. Until, in neighbouring Belize, we discovered something that would change our view completely.
There we learned of a buried treasure, uncovered during an archaeological dig in the Twenties. To our amazement, the precious find had been a crystal skull.
The Belize skull was rumoured to have supernatural powers and many who had spent time alone with it described a glowing aura and said bizarre
filmic images appeared inside it.
The claims seemed far-fetched, but we had to know more and travelled deep into the interior to the place where the skull was found - the 'lost' Mayan city of Lubaantun.
The city was rediscovered in 1924 by Frederick Mitchell-Hedges, the flamboyant British explorer said to have inspired the character of Indiana Jones.
Once an impressive city of six square miles, with pyramids, palaces and a huge amphitheatre designed to hold 10,000 people, Lubaantun is now an almost forgotten archaeological site.
It was so deserted that we were relieved to find it was still manned by a local Mayan guide named Catarino Cal.
After some discussion he produced from his pocket a tattered old photo of a crystal skull. It was at once horrifying and mesmerising.
To our surprise, Catarino told us that the photograph had been given to him by Mitchell-Hedges' daughter, Anna, the very person who had discovered the skull in 1924.
She had made several trips back to the site, the last in 1987.
That was the closest we got to the skulls on that trip, but when we returned to Britain, we couldn't put the story out of our minds.
We had asked Catarino to find out if Anna was still alive, but didn't expect to hear back.
And then, a few weeks later, a letter arrived from Catarino. He had found Anna's address.
We wrote to her, and the reply brought welcome news: Anna, at the age of 87, was living happily, healthily, and with her crystal skull, in Canada. She described how, at the time of the discovery, she had gone out to Belize to help her father with his archaeological work. Newly freed from the constraints of an English girls' boarding school, she had a spirit of adventure that had led her to make her dramatic discovery on the afternoon of her 17th birthday.
Last updated at 15:43pm on 17th May 2008
The lamplight glimmered softly, turning an ordinary suburban sitting room into a place of eerie mystery.
Before us, in the semi-darkness, sat Carole Wilson, a renowned psychic whose strange powers had previously been used by police officers trying to solve murder cases and find the missing.
But now they were being deployed in an attempt to unlock the secret of one of the most extraordinary objects we had ever beheld - a life-size human skull fashioned from breathtakingly pure crystal.
As it was placed on a small turntable so that Carole could touch and manipulate it from all angles, specks of light danced and flickered on its surface.
Then Carole closed her eyes and emitted an unearthly high-pitched hum before speaking in an otherworldly, staccato voice, nothing like her own.
"You seek to know the origins of this receptacle," said the echoing voice. "I tell you that it was made many thousands of years ago. It was not made using what you call the physical. It was moulded into its present form by thought."
So began the latest astonishing twist in our quest to find the truth about the 13 crystal skulls said to have come into the possession of the Mayan people, one of the ancient world's most sophisticated and mysterious races before their civilisation crumbled more than 1,000 years ago. They were supposedly lost for many centuries in the jungles and oceans of Central America but legend has it that they contain ancient wisdom vital for the survival of mankind, an idea that has clearly captured the imagination of Steven Spielberg whose new blockbuster, Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, is out next week.
Set during the Cold War, the film revolves around the intrepid archaeologist's attempts to stop the Soviets abusing the information harboured within the mysterious skulls.
But while Dr Jones's escapades are likely to delight summer cinema audiences, our research suggests that the real skulls have a more sinister purpose: to warn of a series of catastrophes that will soon engulf the world.
The events which led us to our haunting encounter with Carole Wilson began when we were on holiday, touring Mayan ruins in Guatemala.
It was there that we first heard the myth describing the existence of the 13 ancient skulls.
The tales told how they were the size of human skulls, had moving jaws
and were said to speak or sing.
They were also thought to contain answers to some of the greatest mysteries of the universe.
According to Mayan teachings, all 13 skulls would be rediscovered one day and brought together for their wisdom to be made available.
But there was one proviso: the human race must first be sufficiently evolved, morally and spiritually, so as not to misuse the information.
It was the perfect yarn to take home from an overseas adventure, but we dismissed it as pure fiction. Until, in neighbouring Belize, we discovered something that would change our view completely.
There we learned of a buried treasure, uncovered during an archaeological dig in the Twenties. To our amazement, the precious find had been a crystal skull.
The Belize skull was rumoured to have supernatural powers and many who had spent time alone with it described a glowing aura and said bizarre
filmic images appeared inside it.
The claims seemed far-fetched, but we had to know more and travelled deep into the interior to the place where the skull was found - the 'lost' Mayan city of Lubaantun.
The city was rediscovered in 1924 by Frederick Mitchell-Hedges, the flamboyant British explorer said to have inspired the character of Indiana Jones.
Once an impressive city of six square miles, with pyramids, palaces and a huge amphitheatre designed to hold 10,000 people, Lubaantun is now an almost forgotten archaeological site.
It was so deserted that we were relieved to find it was still manned by a local Mayan guide named Catarino Cal.
After some discussion he produced from his pocket a tattered old photo of a crystal skull. It was at once horrifying and mesmerising.
To our surprise, Catarino told us that the photograph had been given to him by Mitchell-Hedges' daughter, Anna, the very person who had discovered the skull in 1924.
She had made several trips back to the site, the last in 1987.
That was the closest we got to the skulls on that trip, but when we returned to Britain, we couldn't put the story out of our minds.
We had asked Catarino to find out if Anna was still alive, but didn't expect to hear back.
And then, a few weeks later, a letter arrived from Catarino. He had found Anna's address.
We wrote to her, and the reply brought welcome news: Anna, at the age of 87, was living happily, healthily, and with her crystal skull, in Canada. She described how, at the time of the discovery, she had gone out to Belize to help her father with his archaeological work. Newly freed from the constraints of an English girls' boarding school, she had a spirit of adventure that had led her to make her dramatic discovery on the afternoon of her 17th birthday.
