Indiana Jones Wiki
Advertisement
This article is about the site of the Fountain of Youth. You may be looking for the Temple of Akator.

The Temple of the Crystal Skull was a stone structure in the Lost River Delta in Peru that housed the Fountain of Youth guarded by a mysterious Crystal Skull.

History[]

Thousands of years old,[1] the Temple of the Crystal Skull was a step pyramid constructed by Mesoamerican peoples. The temple was reputed to contain the legendary Fountain of Youth, waters which bestowed eternal youth and life upon those who drank from them. However, the temple was also protected by the Crystal Skull, an energy being of great power. The temple also received protection from the serpent god Quetzalcoatl.

In 1883, the Lost River Delta was visited by Harrison Hightower III of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. Hightower and his manservant Archibald Smelding desecrated a nearby site but also found the Temple of the Crystal Skull. Although the pair did not excavate the temple, Hightower did have a photograph taken of himself with the pyramid which he brought back to New York City.[2]

In 1931, Indiana Jones traveled to the Lost River Delta aboard Piranha Aviation's UBF-2 sea-plane C-3PO. Jones arrived with half of a map revealing the location of the Temple of the Crystal Skull. The other half of the map was in the possession of an explorers guild known as the League of Adventurers which was also seeking out the temple. The two joined forces but upon discovery of the temple, the League of Adventurers was chased out by the Crystal Skull.[1]

Afterwards, Indy and his friend Paco began exploring the temple in their search for the Fountain of Youth. Jones, however, went missing within the temple, leaving Paco to head the excavation. In need of funds, Paco began hosting tours of the temple with hopes that one of the temple's tour groups would find the lost Dr. Jones. Upon entering the chamber of the Fountain of Youth, one of these tours did find Jones who saved them from being killed by the Crystal Skull.

Jones and the tourists fought their way through the temple while being pursued by the Crystal Skull and Quetzalcoatl. Jones and the tourists ultimately managed to escape after evading a rolling boulder trap.[3] At some point in time, Jones's associate Trader Sam took a picture of himself outside of the temple.[4]

Behind the scenes[]

As part of the interconnected storytelling across Disney's theme parks, Shanghai Disneyland's Adventure Isle includes a newspaper from First International News reporting on Temple of the Crystal Skull's discovery by Indiana Jones and the League of Adventurers. The article's dateline indicates Cusco, Peru but it's unclear if this is the temple's location or where the report was filed.[1]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Shanghai DisneylandAdventure Isle
  2. Tokyo DisneySeaTower of Terror
  3. Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull
  4. DisneylandTrader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar
Advertisement