Download or read book The Man Who Invented Aztec Crystal Skulls written by Jane MacLaren Walsh and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2018-11-29 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eugène Boban began life in humble circumstances in Paris, traveled to the California Gold Rush, and later became a recognized authority on pre-Columbian cultures. He also invented an entire category of archaeological artifact: the Aztec crystal skull. By his own admission, he successfully “palmed off” a number of these crystal skulls on the curators of Europe’s leading museums. How could that happen, and who was this man? Detailed are the travels, self-education, and archaeological explorations of Eugène Boban; this book also explores the circumstances that allowed him to sell fakes to museums that would remain undetected for over a century.