The Man Who Invented Aztec Crystal Skulls

<p> 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.</p>