Olmec Jadeite Cthulhu Idol c. 400 BCE.

Uncovered in the mid 19^th century in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, these strange idols, depicting the great god Cthulhu, are believed to be of Olmec origin. The Olmec were the first major civilization in Mexico and flourished from 1500 BCE to about 350 BCE. The idols are dated at approx. 400 BCE and are carved from a rare form of the mineral Jadeite.

To date scholars have not determined the cause of the extinction of the Olmec culture. Between 400 and 350 BCE, their population decreased at an alarming rate. According to some archaeologists, this drastic depopulation was probably the result of a cataclysmic environmental shift, manifested in the form of a massive earthquake or flood.

While many scholars believe these idols were used in blood rituals – the Olmec are widely considered to be the first Mesoamerican civilization to practice ritual bloodletting – experts at Miskatonic University believe the idols hold the key to unlocking the secrets of the Olmec culture’s eventual destruction. Some even theorize the Olmec created these idols as warnings, effigies of the harbinger of their doom.

The Olmec Cthulhu Idol stands approx. 5.25 inches tall X 3.75 inches wide.

Resin & Acrylic paint.