Discovered deep in the jungle of southern Mexico are dozens of huge 40 ton stone heads which have remained hidden for almost 3,000 years. Radio carbon dated to almost 900 years before Christ, these mysterious megalithic heads easily predate Christopher Columbus by more than 2,000 years and long predate the ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations as well.

Each head was meticulously carved out of a single basalt boulder (an extremely hard fine grained volcanic rock second in hardness only to diamonds), without the use of modern diamond edged cutting tools. As if this were not enough, defying gravity and the laws of nature, the heads were then somehow lifted and carried without damage, more than 120 kilometers up and over formidable mountains, across raging rivers, through tropical jungles with quick sand swamps, all without the benefit of any roads, bridges or vehicles with which to move them.

Some have posited that the stone heads with strange helmets covering their ears depict mystical leaders or gods. Others have hypothesized that the clear prevalence of African and oriental facial features may represent a fusion of African and Pre Columbian indigenous peoples. However, paleoanthropologists agree that such a fusion 3,000 years ago was impossible.

The how, the why, and by what or by whom the heads were created and transported are questions which are beyond the scope of modern technology. They are questions for which we simply have no answers, and represent yet another mystery in the continuing saga of the Yucatan Peninsula’s ancient history.

If you would like to be a part of this saga and would like an opportunity to own an unspoiled pristine part of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, contact us at oceanfront@transcaribbeantrust.com.

We’re all familiar with Indiana Jones movies as well as the 2008 blockbuster “Kingdom of The Crystal Skulls”.

If you’re looking for a good mystery to wrap your mind around, look no further than Mexico’s Crystal Skulls. In the past crystal skulls have been discovered at ruin sites across Mexico. But now a new crystal skull has been discovered in an ancient ruin in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The lore surrounding the crystal skulls is one worth studying, especially if you start with the famous Mitchell-Hedges skull.

The Mitchell-Hedges skull is the most mysterious for at least 2 reasons; first, it is very similar in form to an actual human skull, even featuring a fitted removable jawbone. Second, it is impossible to say how the Mitchell-Hedges skull was constructed. From a technical standpoint, it appears to be an impossible object which today’s most talented sculptors and engineers would be unable to duplicate.

The unknown artist also used no metal tools. Investigators have been unable to find signs of any tell-tale scratch marks on the crystal, under high-powered microscopic analysis. Indeed, most metals would have been ineffectual, for the crystal has a specific gravity of 2.65, and a “Mohs Scale” hardness factor of 7.

The enigma of the skull, however, does not end with only how it was made. The zygomatic arches (the bone arch extending along the sides and front of the cranium) are accurately separated from the skull piece, and act as light pipes, using principles similar to modern optics, to channel light from the base of the skull to the eye sockets.


The eye sockets in turn are miniature concave lenses that also transfer light from a source below, into the upper cranium. Finally, in the interior of the skull is a ribbon prism and tiny light tunnels, by which objects held beneath the skull are magnified and brightened.

Observers have reported that, for unknown reasons, the skull will change color. Sometimes the frontal cranium clouds up, looking like white cotton, while at other times it turns perfectly clear, as if the space within disappears into an empty void. Over a period from 5 to 6 minutes, a dark spot often begins forming on the right side and slowly blackens the entire skull, then recedes and disappears as mysteriously as it came.

When looking at the sum total of skill and knowledge incorporated in the Mitchell-Hedges skull, modern science is stumped as to how to explain it. Author Garvin summarized the findings in these words: ‘It is virtually impossible today — in the time when men have climbed mountains on the moon — to duplicate this achievement”.

Further examples of primitively sculpted skulls are a couple called the Mayan Crystal Skull and the Amethyst Skull. They were discovered in the early 1900s in Guatemala and Mexico, respectively, and were said to be brought to the U.S. by a Mayan priest. The Amethyst Skull is made of purple quartz and the Mayan skull is clear, but the two are otherwise very alike. Like the Mitchell-Hedges skull, both of them were studied at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, and they too were found to be inexplicably cut against the axis of the crystal.

Regardless of any unearthly properties, the questions remain: where did they come from, how are they made, who made them and why? There are countless hypotheses that they are the legacy of some higher intelligence. Many believe they were created by extraterrestrials or beings in Atlantis or Lemuria.

The most obvious answer to the mystery is that native artisans crafted the skulls themselves. The Mayans are most often associated with them, although most scientists doubt that they could have made the skulls, simply because of the technical conundrum the job poses. To all who have studied them, the crystal skulls truly, as is often said, “Remain a mystery surrounded by a riddle and wrapped in an enigma”.

If you or your family would be interested in owning a spectacular beach front property in the land of the Maya (Kingdom of The Crystal Skulls), Trans Caribbean has some new listings for 2013 where you, like Indiana Jones, can try your luck and discover your own Crystal Skull.

The Mexican Congress has debated several hot topics this year. One of those issues is the whereabouts of the lost island of Bermejo. Mexican lawmakers have been seeking this island, but nobody can find it.

So why does this make a difference? It has to do with oil. The U.S. and Mexico are negotiating a new agreement on oil drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico. If Bermejo Island actually exists, that would push Mexico’s territorial waters out farther, giving the country more of the western “Doughnut Hole,” a part of the Gulf believed to contain huge oil reserves.

Bermejo is said to be a low lying island located at 22.3 degrees north latitude and 91.22 degrees west longitude. That is about 100 miles northwest of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

The island has been mentioned in the nautical literature since the 1500s and has appeared on various nautical charts throughout the intervening centuries. It was Spanish territory, and then inherited by Mexico upon its’ independence.

In 1997, a Mexican navy expedition looked for, but did not find, Bermejo. Interest in both houses of the Mexican Congress has been expressed, especially with the bilateral agreement with the United States looming.

There are several explanations afoot to explain the island’s disappearance. One is that Bermejo was sunk by a seaquake or some kind of tectonic shift in the ocean floor. Then there’s the Al Gore explanation – it was sunk by global warming. A conspiracy theory advanced by others is that the island was intentionally blown up by the CIA, so the United States could drill more oil.

Another explanation is that the island simply never existed, that somebody mistook something else for an island back in the 1500s, and the maps just kept copying and recopying Bermejo Island through the centuries. That’s called a “phantom island” and it’s happened before.

The official version of the Mexican government is that the island sunk naturally due to climactic and tectonic factors. Naturally, this provides grist to the mill of the CIA conspiracy theory, that the Mexican government is in cahoots with the U.S. government.

Some in Mexico’s Congress (from both the right and the left) have called Mexican President Calderon to account for the lost island. One statement from certain senators implied that the island had been deliberately sunk: “a force of nature (able to sink an island) does not take place without anyone noticing and much less so when it is sitting in an area with more than 22 billion barrels of oil reserves.”

British maps, interestingly enough, have reported the sinking of the island since way back in 1844.

In 2009, at the behest of the Maritime Committee in the Mexican House of Representatives, an extensive search for the island was carried out by the UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico).This expedition went to Bermejo’s supposed location, and searched by sea and air. Over 10,488 square kilometers were searched. Under the sea, soundings went down 1500 feet. The result – nothing. They just didn’t find Bermejo Island where it was supposed to be located.

Some mysterious things have been happening in the Gulf of Mexico: missing ships, missing planes and now a missing island. Could it be that Mexico has its own Bermuda Triangle?

Jorge Bautista

After publishing last month’s TCT Times about the Johnson’s diving adventure on Banco Chinchorro, we received this story about the Miller’s adventure when buying their own beachfront lot.

My husband and I are both involved in corporate management and we don’t always get enough quality time together to relax and enjoy life. A colleague of ours had recently come back from a 2 week investment trip to Mexico. With CNN recently dubbing investing in Mexico as “fool proof” and Mexico’s economy expecting to grow by at least 4% this year alone, Jon and I decided that an overseas investment at this stage would probably pay off more than investing in the current economic backwater in the states. After some research we made contact with Andrew from Trans Caribbean Trust Company.

We had been to Cancun before and always said we would return. This time we decided to fly into Merida, the capital city of the Yucatan. Our first impression of Merida was breathtaking. We could feel and see the history all around us; the 500 year old church with the world’s largest wooden representation of Jesus’s crucifixion is a must see, along with the Governor’s Mansion. The only negative thing I can say about Merida, apart from Jon slipping and twisting his ankle in the main square, is that downtown traffic seemed to be congested. Andrew explained that the government has allocated a large sum of money to re-do the streets of the city center in preparation for the tourists that will be arriving to celebrate December 2012, the end of the Mayan calendar.

The next morning, we drove to an area known as Sunset Shores, North West of Merida, where we viewed some spectacular beach front lots. But the real kicker is that we also took a boat ride from our beachfront lot out to the famous Alacranes Archipelago where we did some scuba diving. Besides the beautiful corals and scores of fish, to our amazement we also discovered hidden underwater constructions dating from antiquity. Our eyes were agog as we pondered these ancient stone structures, obviously built when sea levels were lower during one of the last ice ages. We could only gaze in amazement as we stared suspended beneath the sea. Hidden in their underwater world, these structures spoke of a long distant past. That night we gazed at the stars and ate freshly caught Yellow Tail Snappers grilled right there on the beach. We were both tired from the adventures of the day so we rested up that night.

The next morning was a lovely clear day and the ocean was calm. The sandy beach seemed to go for as far as we could see. As we drove into Sunset Shores we saw one of the newly built homes, a modern design with a huge French style balcony for the master bedroom overlooking the ocean. Andrew explained that the builder had finished the entire project within 12 months and building costs were as little $75 USD per sq. ft. We were met by Martin, an x-pat and builder who is now permanently residing there. It’s funny, he used to live very close to us back home in the states. He explained the “ins and outs” of a typical building routine from design to finished product. He was glad to walk with us through different homes along Sunset Shores so we could get a good look at a typical build in different stages. I guess seeing that new home was inspiring and what seemed to be just a dream was now reality staring Jon and I in the face. I think deep down we were both sold and from then on we both agreed that we would make an offer. We went in to Sisal to have a lunch near the old pier and started to write up a contract.

Now back home in LA we are already talking with Martin and are mulling over a couple of designs he came up with so we can get started with our home. Modern, contemporary with high ceilings and a huge balcony facing that mysterious underwater world and that stunning sunset view on Sunset shores. We call our little slice of paradise, Sunset View.

Susan and Jon Miller.

On June 10th , we had met one of Trans Caribbean’s sales rep’s in Cancun who told us about an area a couple of hours south of Playa Del Carmen that is known as Majahual, a small fishing village with a lot of charm. For a while now my wife Anna and I have been interested in purchasing an oceanfront lot for our retirement. After talking it over we decided to take the opportunity to go and see the lots.

Anna and I are keen divers, hence the idea of owning oceanfront in Mexico just seemed right. Martin had promised us that he would try to set up a diving excursion to Banco Chinchorro if we had the time, and to keep his word, he did just that! (Nice one Martin).

We decided that Martin would pick us up the next morning and we would go straight down to Majahual and spend some time mingling with the locals to get a feel for the area. After a short drive we had already passed Playa Del Carmen and were in Tulum having a coffee break. Martin had used this time to tell us the good news “I have successfully been able to get you on a trip out to the largest atoll in the northern hemisphere and we are going out there first thing in the morning!” To say the least, Anna and I were excited and couldn’t wait to get down to Majahual, unpack and take in the cool evening Caribbean breeze, while having a couple of cold beers and some “Ceviche”.

We were awakened at around 6.30 the next morning by Martin and his friend (diving guide) Enrique. We went to the dive gear shop to get fitted out and we were just about ready to board our dive boat at 7am. Enrique had prepared us one of the most amazing breakfasts we’ve ever had, with fresh fish he had caught. He grilled the fish with some local spices and before long we were eating freshly caught grilled fish called “Tikinchik” with homemade tortillas, as we were steadily cruising towards the great Banco Chinchorro.

After a short boat ride over the clearest ocean we had ever seen, the boat started to slow. As the sun broke on the distant horizon the water glistened like a shattered mirror. The air felt like clouds of warm mist passing over our skin. Enrique had a proud grin on his face that morning, as if he were taking us to some ethereal paradise.

Anna and I didn’t waste much time once we got to Chinchorro. We dove straight in over a shallow part of the Atoll into what seemed like another world filled with schools of multi-colored tropical fish. The underwater world seemed to stretch for as far as the eye could see. In the distant gloom an old ancient ship wreck began to appear that was alive with coral and sea life. The whole diving experience seemed to remind us of when we used to talk about owning an oceanfront lot in Mexico years ago, and being able to dive as we pleased.

After a great morning of diving we headed back toward town where we sat down to enjoy a quiet lunch. We were excited to see the lots and wasted no time as the weather was beautiful and the warm Caribbean breeze just felt amazing. We had previously spoken about a couple of lots that Martin had listed. A short drive from Majahual and we had arrived. The tall palms, clear water and seclusion surpassed our expectations. Martin explained that the area where we were is protected and there will never be any high rise developments for neighbors.

That night Anna and I talked back at the little boutique hotel where we were staying in Majahual. Listing the pros and cons, Martin explained that it was natural to ask the same set of questions most of his clients ask. He explained that one of the main reasons people invest in Majahual is to get that secluded feeling. Chetumal, the capital, about an hour away has all the amenities and stores we needed. Most people make a monthly shopping trip to Chetumal. Fresh fish, fruit, vegetables and other staples are available in Majahual. We finally agreed that we would take the plunge and that is exactly what we did. We decided to put in an offer which was accepted. Thirty days and a cold bottle of Champagne later, it was ours. We call it “Paradise Found”.

We spent a few more days in Mexico setting off on our own Mexican adventure of Mayan Ruins, Pyramids and Cenotes. We made a few good contacts in the area, Martin was right, the longer we stayed and the more people we met, made us feel more confident that we had made the right decision. Anna was laughing, I know I had the same smirk on my face that Enrique had while we were cruising that June morning out to Banco Chinchorro.


-Allen and Anna Johnson.