Deep in the jungles of Honduras, there is a special place where an explorer reportedly found an amazing pre-Mayan culture crystal skull. Expedition Unknown is on the hunt to verify that the cave exists and what is inside that would validate these claims.
Fans of Indiana Jones will love this episode as Josh Gates heads into a subterranean cave filled with crystals, and finds an untouched ancient piece of pottery in the process.
This exploration is based on the last century discovery by Frederick Albert Mitchell-Hedges, an English adventurer whose explorations of the very same areas netted what is now called the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull that he found with his daughter Anna Mitchell–Hedges in Lubaantun, British Honduras (now called Belize) back in 1924.
In our clip, we find Gates is on a deserted island off the coast of Honduras with Bill Holman in the hopes of finding some clues.
In the clip, they are working together as they attempt to find out if it was even possible to have such a thing as a crystal skull and perhaps locate any tangible evidence of a crystal statue discovered by the aforementioned late explorer that could prove the existence of an advanced civilization that predates the Mayan empire.
Or at the very least come out of the cave with a cool shiny artifact!
As he approaches the cave, Gates realizes it will be a bit of an athletic venture to get inside.
“Now we’re at the mouth of what may be the cave where Hedges originally found the deity,” Gates says. “To get into the cave we need to do a short rappel through the vertical entrance.”
As he descends into the cave, Gates is wide-eyed and full of excitement. He says, “Okay let’s see what’s in here…whoa oh my word look at this place!”
It appears they are on to something big. Holding up what looks to be a split in half geode filled with quartz crystal, Gates’ excitement now is palpable.
He says: “Bill, look what’s inside of them pure crystal …so the idea of something being down here carved a crystal – totally possible -as the source material is right here.”
The two men venture further into the cave with what looks to be stalagmites all around them. Finally, Josh turns a corner and sees an unexpected artifact. An abandoned clay pot or urn is sitting right in front of him.
Gates totally freaks out and hollers for the cameras and producers to join him, as he says, “Oh my god! Oh my god… get a camera down here… come here… look at this!”
Will Gates find any other clues in Central America’s jungles to verify the legendary crystal skull that was discovered by this English adventurer, who was one of the inspirations for the character of Indiana Jones?
It will be either archaeology’s biggest find of late or perhaps one of the tallest of tales exposed and debunked.
What are the crystal skulls?
A hotly debated and very unusual artifact that is recreated and made today in various countries, these ancient crystal skulls have origins in Mexico and South America.
But the academics at various museums across the globe are skeptical about their mystical origins. Described as “macabre” these skulls are evidence of possible alien visitation or even a lost city of Atlantis by some who claim that people could not have made these in the ancient Mesoamerican times that they were allegedly made.
According to National Geographic, there are ” [a] dozen of these rare crystal skulls in private and public collections.” The skulls are reportedly crystal clear or colored quartz and are made to scale.
Expedition Unknown airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Discovery Channel.