Wonderful large ceremonial hacha from the Valdivian culture, Ecuador. Green diorite stone with nice delineation between colors. Highly polished.  Measures 14.5"/36.83cm in height by 9"/22.86cm wide, 16.5"/41.91cm mounted. Weight: 11.5 lbs.

Santa Elena, Ecuador. 4400 - 1450 BC. Choice condition.

These extraordinary large stone axes were symbolic and interred as payment to mother earth.

The Museo Chileno of Precolumbian Art describes these as “Lithophones”.

These kinds of objects are only known through archeological studies in northwest South America and usually been described as”ceremonial axes”.

During the Late Formative period, there developed a great interest and desire for green stones in general. They were exotic in most areas and would have been sought in exchange over long distances as it became widespread use in domestic and mortuary contexts. The dramatic growth in popularity of green stones also occurred at about the same time in Mesoamerica.