May 27, 2008
Dear Editor,
In 1924, there was an extraordinarily, intriguing artifact found in British Honduras, now known as Belize. The most amazing crystal skull ever found, and not even scientists could tell its origin. There is no clue to determine how it was made, since it had no evidence of modern tools, so perfectly made.
The crystal skull was found in the deep jungles of southern Belize. It was found in San Pedro Columbia in 1924. The skull was found by Anna Mitchell Hedges, an adopted daughter of Frederick Albert Mitchell Hedges, an English explorer.
Anna was with her father excavating the Maya temple of Lubaantun. During their excavations, Anna was lucky to find one of the world’s greatest crystal skulls. She claimed that she found the skull buried under the collapsed altar inside Lubaantun.
She said that she found this skull on her 17th birthdate. Years after she found this skull, researchers began to study this amazing object and then it became so famous. Years have passed. Nobody was able to say anything about it, yet everybody has heard about it already, even though we, the Belizean people, are not aware what this crystal skull could mean to us in our country, especially to the Mayan communities.
Belize is a blessed country. We are known for our amazing heritage and its precious collectives. According to studies, this skull has various features and a mystical feeling. This makes it very unique, and makes it the number one skull in the world.
The skull, it is said, has the information of the past, future and even death. As an indigenous Maya, I believed that yes, it does exist. Our belief in the Maya world is that we have different gods, and for different reasons, so I could tell that the skull right now is in the wrong place.
Everyday, I believe that if we get that skull back to Belize, it might change the hearts and thoughts of many Belizeans, and even the Mayan people. It’s so sad to see that we, the Maya people, are losing our traditions, our culture is vanishing away. We no longer hold our title; all of our dazzling treasures are gone. I am happy that we still have some in the government’s care, but will be happier if we get that crystal skull.
As everyone knows, we have big movies being made from this skull, and all what Belizeans could see are just images. Definitely, we have a big problem to analyze what the solution would be.
If all the people of Belize, NGOs, GOB or Maya leaders, come together and discuss this matter of claiming back this skull, it would be so good. For one person alone, it would be impossible, but a group and a representation can make the difference. The Maya people of Belize, wake up and do something. My heart and thoughts go for all my fellow people of the South. Why just see a picture or hear about it, when we can have what belongs to us? This is part of our blood; our ancestors are gone, but left us something that we should have possession of, but due to our lack of security and regulations, we had people not from here just came in and took what is ours.
Our country could attract thousands of tourists every year; this could lead us to better tourism development through the entire country. What I would like to emphasize is for all the schools in Belize to educate younger generations about the history of the crystal skull, and this is not just for Maya generations but for all ethnic groups.
I personally respect each and every ethnic group, regardless of their origin, and I hope to get a tremendous feedback. I know that this might sound impossible, since this happened long ago, but with your help we can do something. I will try my best to do what I can, to educate and motivate my people of the South. Archeology plays an important role in Belize, so we should focus more as how to manage these areas.
I hope that all my people of the South, especially the Maya people, would support me as we continue to stand for our belongings.
Thank you.
Andrew Salam
San Pedro Columbia
Toledo District
Email: [email protected]
Tel # 625-7530