F.A. Mitchell-Hedges
Member of the Maya Committee of the British Museum

Internationally famous explorer whom the Indians named “El Tigre Blanco”

MITCHELL-HEDGES has given over thirty-seven thousand specimens of great historical and educational value to various museums; yet has never been financed by any one. He is without question one of the greatest of scientific explorers – and among the explorers he is probably the finest speaker. Despite his scientific attainments he is a man of action, a great speaker and an outstanding personality. Named by the Indians, who at once fear and revere him as “’El Tigre Blanco” (The White Tiger) he, with his intrepid assistant and secretary, Jane Houlson, have had adventures almost too fantastic to chronicle.
His previous books, “Battles With Giant Fish,” “The Land of Wonder and Fear.” etc., together with his radio experiences, have caused him to be known from one end of this country to another, yet until now he has never been offered for an extended lecture tour.
It is our pleasure to present Mr. F. A. Mitchell-Hedges as one of the most important adventurers, scientists and lecturers of his day.

LECTURE SUBJECTS
Illustrated With Magnificently Colored Lantern Slides

THE LAND OF WONDER AND FEAR
Life among the Zutuhilc Indian living in the region of Lake Atitlan. Bloodless revolutions some not so bloodless. Impenetrable jungle, unexplored territory where rivers debauch from the bowels of the earth and volcanoes are ever active, belching forth smoke, molten lava and lire.

BATTLES WITH GIANT FISH
Some of the most remarkable pictures ever taken of great fish and the great adventures involved in their taking. Pictures of the death-ray, poison-grouper (certain death within three to six minutes to anyone it strikes), the barracuda, the liger shark, the sea scorpion, living horrors of the lovely tropical waters.

THE LOST WORLD
The jungle gives up her treasures. A deserted city of ghostly mystery is found. A white woman, unwillingly invests herself with occult powers. Adventures among the Maya Kekchi descendant of the once highly cultured Maya race.

MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN HAILS “THE LOST WORLD” AS A DISCOVERY WHICH “WILL COMPEL ARCHAEOLOGISTS TO RECONSTRUCT THEIR PRESENT IDEAS REGARDING THE ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS OF THE AMERICAN CONTINENT.”

F. A. MITCHELL-HEDGES
WHO would believe that prehistoric tribes of people still dwell on the American continent? Tribes whose manner of living has not advanced as far as the Stone Age. Who have never seen a white man, have never beard of a ship, a railroad, money, the Great War, or the United Stales of America. Who dwell in complete seclusion because they take every precaution to keep their village hidden. Who by the word of their gods savagely oppose any stranger seeking entrance to their territory. Yet some of these primitive natives live in the shadow of magnificent ruins of a once great civilization that flourished before the time of Christ and has since completely vanished from the lace of the earth.
HOW did Mitchell-Hedges find his way into these hidden places, walled in by thousands of square miles of solid jungle? Why did the natives accept this strange while man, name him “El Tigre Blanco,” allow him to take part in their strange ceremonies and rituals? Not one tribe of Indians, but twenty, be has lived among. Each one distinct, each with its own strange customs and superstitions. He penetrated the very heart of the interior of the greatest […] of all and is in possession of the most amazing facts about primitive life that have ever been collected. Daily life in the primeval jungle. Night in the jungle, when animal life awakes and the darkness is jewelled with gleaming eves, and rent with strange cries, as the age-old battle of survival of the fittest is fought to the death. When dancing lights on the hillsides mark the stronghold of the witches for those who would consult the occult. What weird knowledge is sought by the Indians who creep through little known trails to visit the wizards?

GAINING the confidence of the Indians he learned secrets which have been closely guarded for centuries. How much of these strange legends are based on fact, only the patience and courage to push on year after year through solid jungle can ever tell. Many of the rumors have already proved fruitful, leading him in one instance to the oldest Mayan city yet discovered, which he named Lubaantun, (city of fallen stones). Its principal citadel covers eight acres, and it brought to light the first amphitheatre found on the American continent, having seating accommodations for at least ten thousand people.

LAND of Wonder and Fear. Mitchell-Hedges has termed his beloved Central America. For year alter year its wonders lure him hack for fresh discoveries, while the dangers lurking in its unknown depths are a constant challenge to this great adventurer. Will he ever find the great white city which legend avers as a place of immense pyramids, temples and courtyards, gleaming like frosted ice in the sun-light? Have the Indian- revealed its location to El Tigre Blanco? And where is the stronghold in which Tecum-Umane, last of the great Quiche kings, is said to have concealed the vast treasure of the Indians at the time of the Spanish Conquest? Wondrous tales of an ancient race are written on fallen stones, while only time can tell what unsolved riddles still await discovery in the vast unexplored regions of the land of Wonder and Fear.
He spent nineteen years in Central America, fought his way to jungle depths never before penetrated by white men, discovered a new race of people, unearthed the oldest Maya city yet discovered. His deep sea research in the waters of the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean brought to light many strange monsters in support of his theory that prehistoric life may still lurk in the depths of the sea. Shunning cities, refusing to be lionized, he returned only long enough to get supplies, arrange new expeditions and dispose of his amazing collection of hitherto unrecorded specimens which have been donated to the British Museum, the Museums of Oxford and Cambridge, the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, New York, and others.

It has been said that the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull was used in one of the 13 healing temples in Atlantis. This particular healing temple was used for higher learning, healing, rejuvenation and regeneration. In this temple, the Skull worked with the blue and ultra violet color frequencies or rays. Apparently, after the last upheaval in Atlantis this Skull was moved to the Yucatan, Egypt and then to Belize by the Atlantean priests and priestesses. Some Mayans are of the belief that these very same Atlanteans are their ancestors. The Mayans have continued to use this Crystal Skull in their healing ceremonies down through the ages. However, since much of the Atlantean knowledge and wisdom was lost after the upheaval, the ceremonies may have changed.

The following is a story about Donna DeMay and her personal quest as she uncovered the way in which the Mayans used crystal and the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull as part of their healing ceremonies.

Donna’s journey began in the early 1990’s, when for years she had been experiencing multiple health problems due to a bad diet and lack of concern for the physical body.

On one of her visits to see Anna Mitchell-Hedges “Sammy” and the Skull, she placed her hands on top of the Skull and it suddenly filled with smoke. You could even see smoke rising from the very top of the Skull. She thought that somehow she had ‘broken’ it and cried out “oh my god… what did I do?” Sammy just calmly smiled at her.

During the return trip home, Donna reflected deeply on what had just occurred. She wanted to know what the smoke meant. What was the Skull trying to show her? The next morning she woke up totally healed from her health problems and has been clear ever since. This healing opened the doors of awareness for Donna and enabled her to follow a more balanced and holistic approach to diet and health. Thus began Donna’s long journey into discovering the nature of healing and how the Skull was an integral part of it.

Soon after this experience, Donna took a trip to Belize. While there, she visited Lubaantun, the place where the Crystal Skull was found. Serendipitously, she met the owner of the hotel where she was staying, near San Ignacio. This man shared with Donna many stories from his childhood. One in particular caught her attention. He told her that as a child he often played in the backyard, which was permeated with buried ancient ruins. He showed her a 52 faceted crystal ball that he had found hidden there. It was the size of a tennis ball, and as she held it in her hands she suspected that the Mayans were into crystal more than she could have imagined. Donna also realized that the number 52 must have a special significance. At that point she had no idea of the purpose of the faceted crystal ball, but she wanted to find out.

A couple of days later at another site in Belize, Altun-Ha, Donna met and talked to a park official. She asked him if he knew anything about the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull and told him about the ‘52’ faceted crystal ball she had recently been shown. The park official said that “The Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull is more powerful than anyone could ever imagine.” He also said “Never use it for power, control or money because it will only backfire on you. Only use it for healing.” The park official also knew exactly what the crystal ball was used for. Both the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull and the crystal ball were used together in Mayan healing ceremonies.

He then went on to explain how the healing ceremony was performed. The diseased person placed the ‘52’ faceted crystal ball in the palm of their right hand. Then, the attending High Priest would cup his left palm over the top of the crystal ball while rotating back and forth both their hands 9 times. According to the Mayans, every number is sacred and has multiple meanings. One of the most common interpretations for ‘9’ refers to the end of one cycle and the beginning of another… transformation. The number 52 represents a new time of renewal and the beginning of a new cycle as well.

When the High Priest released his hand, he would look at the ‘52’ faceted crystal ball.
If the ball filled with smoke, this was a sign that the person was sick and needed healing. The sick person would then stand in front of the Crystal Skull with the smoke filled crystal ball still in his hand and proceed to be healed. The ceremony was finished when the crystal ball was totally cleared of smoke by the Crystal Skull.

Donna was told that when spirit moves out of a human body during the healing process, it takes on the form of smoke. Everything has a spirit, including emotions. For example: If you are involved in a fearful experience then the spirit of the fear of that situation remains in your body making you sick until it is released. If you have an addiction, then the spirit of alcohol, tobacco, drugs etc. remains in the body causing ill health until that spirit is released and the habit is stopped.

The Mayans also believed that if one ‘vacates’ their body during stressful or disturbing moments, eventually nonphysical entities or spirits looking for an easy home will check in. When they do this they can take over the host body. The healing ceremony is also used to remove these unwanted spirits.

This healing ceremony was considered a ‘magic rite’ to the Mayans. Magic and the magic of numbers have always been involved in quite a few of their sacred ceremonies. Numbers are symbols and in ceremony these symbols become alive.

Through this experience, Donna discovered that the Mayans use crystals as tools.
She was led on a path of discovery, which answered many of her personal questions regarding healing and the healing properties of crystal. But most of all her “burning” question about why the Skull filled with smoke when she touched it was answered.

F.A. “Mike” Mitchell-Hedges (22 October 1882 - June 1959) was an English adventurer, traveller, and writer – for many, he is the real Indiana Jones, if not a James Bond as well.

Mitchell-Hedges spent some years alternating between Central America, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Some sources say he was a mercenary, others that he was a British government spy, and others that he was independently wealthy and travelling for diversion.

The Crystal Skull

Today, Mitchell-Hedges is best known for his connection to a famous crystal skull: “The Skull of Doom”. Arthur C Clarke made the skull into his signature logo for his popular television series, Arthur C Clarke’s Mysterious World, and of course, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, where Mitchell-Hedges receives two mentions.
Mitchell-Hedges mentioned the skull in the first edition of his autobiography, Danger My Ally (1954), without specifying where or by whom it was found. He merely stated that “it is at least 3,600 years old and according to legend was used by the High Priest of the Maya when performing esoteric rites. It is said that when he willed death with the help of the skull, death invariably followed”. Later editions of Danger My Ally omitted this rather intriguing paragraph. Why, no-one knows.

In an affidavit, Anna Hedges, his adopted daughter, claimed that she found the skull buried under a collapsed altar inside a temple in Lubaantun, in British Honduras, now Belize. Others believe Mitchell-Hedges bought the skull from an antiques dealer in New York or that the skull was purchased at auction in 1943. Others argue that Mitchell-Hedges could never tell how he acquired the skull, as no-one would believe him. Could truth be stranger than fiction?

The Perfect Artefact

The skull is made from a block of clear quartz (although the jaw detaches), 5 inches (13 cm) high, 7 inches (18 cm) long and 5 inches wide. It is about the size of a small human cranium, with near perfect detail.

In 1970, art restorer Frank Dorland was given permission to submit the skull to tests at the internal Hewlett-Packard Laboratories. According to Dorland, the skull had been carved with total disregard to the natural crystal axis and no metal tools were used. Dorland claimed he was unable to find any tell-tale scratch marks, except for traces of mechanical grinding on the teeth. From tiny patterns near the carved surfaces, Dorland determined it was first chiselled into rough form, probably using diamonds. The finer shaping, grinding and polishing, Frederick claimed, was done with sand over a period of 150 to 300 years.

A Great Enigma

The debate whether the skull is pre- or post-Columbian continues to rage and divide opinions. As the skull is made from quartz, no carbon or any other dating techniques can be performed on it. Though some argue evidence of wheels shows it is post-Columbian, other experts argue that is not at all the case.

The enigma, and controversy continues…