Constam

SCP-XXXX-2 on its gyroscopically-stabilized pedestal at Site 76

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-XXXX-2, XXXX-3, and XXXX-4 are to be kept in secure, gyroscopically-stabilized storage vaults at three separate Foundation facilities, Site 76, Site 83, and Site 105. SCP-XXXX should be positioned so that the anterior aspect is always pointing directly towards 18.35°N, 102.39°W. This facing should be accurate to within .01 degrees and checked monthly as well as after every seismic event or major containment breach.

Description: SCP-XXXX-1 through 17 are carved stone heads that vary in height from 1.47 to 3.52 meters and weigh between 6 and 50 tons. These instances of SCP-XXXX depict men wearing elaborate carved stone headdresses typical for rulers of the Olmec people during the Preclassic period from 1500-400 BCE.

There are currently three (3) instances of SCP-XXXX in Foundation custody. There are also fourteen (14) instances of SCP-XXXX currently on display in various museums throughout Mexico where they are monitored by embedded Foundation personnel.

SCP-XXXX's anomalous properties were discovered in 1985 when one of the last instances of SCP-XXXX to be discovered (now designated SCP-XXXX-1) was uncovered and moved from its original location in San Lorenzo, despite one of the archaeologists requesting a delay (see Interview XXXX-1). Within 8 minutes of it being lifted out of the ground, tremors registering 4.2 on the Richter scale shook the surrounding area. These continued to grow in intensity, centered on 18.35°N, 102.39°W, until on 19 September, 1985, a seismic event registering 8.1 on the Richter scale devastated the greater Mexico City area, killing over 10,000 people and injuring at least 100,000 more. The effects of the quake were felt as far 2500 km away.

Local fishermen who survived the resulting tsunami reported seeing blood and fecal matter boiling forth from deep under water. Amnestics were administered and local news sources that picked up the story were discredited. Foundation divers were sent to study the epicenter of the blast (See Exploration Log XXXX-1). The area has been quarantined and any attempts at underwater exploration or deep sea drilling in the area are to be shut down with the excuse that the area is a breeding ground for endangered marine life.

After being alerted of the potential connection between the removal of SCP-XXXX-1 and the increasing frequency and magnitude of earthquake activity in the area, the Foundation infiltrated the archaeological team and re-buried SCP-XXXX-1 in its original location until its significance could be determined. After a link was discovered, the Foundation created a replica of SCP-XXXX-1 to send to the Museo de Antropología de Xalapa so that study could continue uninterrupted. Once SCP-XXXX-1 was re-interred at it's original location, seismic activity in the area decreased to normal levels.

Further experimentation revealed that the location of SCP-XXXX is irrelevant, as long as it is facing 18.35°N, 102.39°W. Multiple instances of SCP-XXXX facing that location is unnecessary, but recommended (it appears that many of the instances of SCP-XXXX are redundant security measures created by the Olmec people in case one or more of the monuments was moved or destroyed). Upon acquiring this information, the Foundation created a replica of an instance of SCP-XXXX at the Museo de Antropología de Xalapa (designated SCP-XXXX-2) and replaced it with the duplicate, interring the original in the secure vault that had been prepared at Site 76.

Addendum: It seems that some person or persons unknown (possibly [REDACTED], see Document XXXX-34a) are intent on destroying or defacing instances of SCP-XXXX (see Incident XXXX-1-1 and Incident XXXX-8-1). The Foundation has since recovered two additional instances of SCP-XXXX (designated SCP-XXXX-3 and SCP-XXXX-4 respectively) and secured them at Site 83 and Site 105, replacing the originals with replicas. If any further instances of SCP-XXXX are attacked, the Foundation may secure more for safe-keeping but that has been deemed unnecessary at this time.¹

+ Interview XXXX-1

<Begin Excerpt>

I was always intrigued by the heads, ever since Dr. S███████ excavated the first one in the 1930s. Brilliant, monumental works of art crafted with painstaking detail, carefully placed … and then buried. What was the meaning behind that? I mean, they must have buried them for a reason, right? You don't drag a 50 ton basalt boulder a hundred miles, spend months carefully working it into an exact likeness of your king, and perform complicated religious rites over it, all just to throw it in a hole in the ground!

I told D████ we needed more time to study the artifacts *in situ* but we were under a lot of pressure from the Mexican government. Archaeologists had been crawling over the site for years and the government had had enough, they just wanted to finally get the heads out of the ground and bring them in to museums where they could be shown off and attract tourists.

But then during our excavation of Monument 6, a few days before they were going to bring in the crane to remove it (crushing half the site in the process), we found a partially collapsed corner of a wall buried nearby that still showed heavily worn remnants of what looked like glyphs or pictograms of some kind. I was ecstatic, it was the first time we'd ever discovered anything like a writing system associated with the Olmec people. I was sure that it would be enough to delay the removal, to give us more time before they destroyed the site. But D████ just took one look at it, dismissed it as just more artistic ornamentation, and told us to take a rubbing and then get the site ready for the crane to come in the next day.

Many of the details were lost when they destroyed the wall. We copied the glyphs as best we could but some had crumbled into nothingness and we didn't have time to try and reassemble them. The first section was fairly straightforward. It seemed to represent kings or soldiers, possibly past Olmec rulers or important figures in their mythology. The next glyph was less clear. It could mean waiting, or watching, or guarding, depending on the context which we didn't have. What they were waiting for, I couldn't say. The final section of the wall had crumbled into nothingness. Whatever it was, it must have been important for them to bury almost 20 of these monuments all over Mesoamerica, all facing the same place…

<End Excerpt>]

+ Exploration Log XXXX-1

Exploration of site located at 18.35°N, 102.39°W was performed by three members of MTF-Mu-76 "Dunnikin Divers" aboard Foundation submersible MX-0322 in communication via radio with Dr. D████████ at base camp. Extraneous information removed.

<Log Excerpt>

Dr. D████████: Proceed to designated location. Keep us updated if you see anything out of the ordinary.

Mu-76-Alpha: Acknowledged.

[Approximately 40 minutes pass with exploration team checking in regularly to confirm that conditions are still clear.]

Mu-76-Alpha: We're nearing the location. Still no sign of blood or other foreign substances. A lot of silt in the water though. Ocean floor is dropping off sharply, seems to be a large trench ahead. It's not on our charts, must have opened up recently.

Dr. D████████: Very well, continue down into the trench.

Mu-76-Alpha: Acknowledged.

[Approximately 5 minutes pass.]

Mu-76-Alpha: Approaching the bottom of the trench. Visibility decreasing, switching on floodlights… Bottom of the trench approximately 20m wide, plenty of space for the sub. There are regularly spaced rock formations protruding from trench floor, approximately 5m tall and 10m apart. Looks unnatural, possibly artificial in nature.

Dr. D████████: Interesting. Can you get close enough for a sample?

Mu-76-Alpha: No problem. Bravo, ready the drill, I'm bringing us in.

[Sounds of drilling. Later analysis revealed the rock formations to consist of basalt relatively rich in silica and poor in sodium, typical of other formations in the region.]

Mu-76-Alpha: Sample obtained.

Dr. D████████: Thank you. Proceed along the bottom of the trench. Keep us updated as to what you're looking at.

Mu-76-Alpha: Acknowledged. Rock formations continuing, spacing still fairly regular. Not a lot of fish down here, trench floor has a lot of crabs though.

[2 minutes pass.]

Mu-76-Alpha: Trench floor inclining up a bit, maybe 20 degrees. No longer seeing any of those rock formations.

Dr. D████████: Very well. Keep going until the trench gets too narrow to navigate safely.

Mu-76-Alpha: Incline has ended in a large drop off. Sonar's detecting a large open space below us. A lot more silt in the water.

Dr. D████████: Bring her down and take a look around. What do you see?

Mu-76-Alpha: The trench continues on in front of us, maybe 100m deeper than it was before. Trench floor appears to be primarily silt now, no sign of any more rock formations. Lot of crabs scurrying around. Swinging us around to get a 360 view… There's a large cave opening behind us beneath the inclined section of the trench floor we just came over.

Dr. D████████: A cave? Can you get a closer look?

Mu-76-Alpha: It's big enough to navigate, sure. Taking us in.

[Sounds of muffled arguing.]

Dr. D████████: Is there a problem?

Mu-76-Alpha: Ahh, no. Mu-76-Bravo wishes me to inform you that the large stalactites and stalagmites at the entrance to the cave "look like teeth".

Dr. D████████: Excuse me?

Mu-76-Bravo: [Muffled due to distance from audio pickup] Come on, man. I've seen Empire. We really going in there?

Mu-76-Alpha: There are some rock formations at the entrance to the cave, six on top, four on the ocean floor. Conical formations consistent with stalactites and stalagmites varying between 5-10 meters long, fairly evenly spaced.

Mu-76-Bravo: [Muffled] They're big-ass [expletive redacted] teeth!

Dr. D████████: Ah. One moment please. Hold position for now.

[3 minute pause as Dr. D████████ consults Foundation files and confirms that there is no record of this sector of ocean floor ever being above water for long enough to form stalactites.]

Dr. D████████: Okay Mu-76, we're going to need you to take a sample from one of the stalactites.

Mu-76-Bravo: [Muffled] Is he [expletive redacted] serious?

Mu-76-Alpha: Can the chatter and focus on the mission, Bravo, or I'll have to file a reprimand when we get back. Acknowledged base, acquiring sample. Prepare the drill arm, I'm bringing us in.

[Sounds of drilling. Later analysis revealed the stalactite consisted of the same type of basalt as the other rock formations on the trench floor.]

Mu-76-Alpha: Sample acquired.

Dr. D████████: Thank you. Proceed into the cave and do a full sonar sweep.

Mu-76-Alpha: Acknowledged. Entering cave now… There's a lot of crabs scuttling around the floor. Cave dimensions are about 200m in diameter, goes back about 700m before it looks like it narrows considerably. Walls of the cave lines with conical rock formations until it starts to narrow… I gotta say, they really do look like giant teeth, Doc.

Dr. D████████: Understood. Have Mu-76-Charlie keep a close eye out for seismic disturbances and proceed deeper into the cave.

Mu-76-Alpha: Acknowledged. Cave narrowing up ahead, looks like it gets down to maybe 20m across. Still enough room for the sub, but if it gets too much narrower we'll have to turn around before we get stuck… Passing into narrow channel now. A couple of smaller passages branching off, too small to traverse.

Dr. D████████: That's fine, keep to the main path for now.

Mu-76-Alpha: Cave widening now, we're coming into another large chamber, roughly 250m diameter. Lots of crabs, lots of… Holy [expletive redacted]!

Dr. D████████: Everything all right there? What's going on?

Mu-76-Alpha: We're fine. Just feeling a bit twitchy, sorry. We're looking at… looks like a giant crab, but it's not moving. Looks like it's made of stone. Like a crab statue or something. At least 10m tall, gave me a start when the floods hit it.

Dr. D████████: That's… unexpected to say the least. Please go ahead and…

Mu-76-Alpha: Take a sample, we know.

[Sounds of drilling. Later analysis revealed the crab statue again consisted of sedimentary rock of a type found in the San Lorenzo region of Mexico, /not/ the basalt found in the stone heads or other rock formations. The "crab statue" also showed signs of damage, half of it had been crushed and the outer layers of stone had been partially dissolved by unknown means. ]

Mu-76-Alpha: Sample acquired. Not seeing any way out of this cavern besides the way we came in.

Dr. D████████: Very well, finish your sonar sweep and then return to base.

<End Excerpt>

Submersible MX-0322 returned to base without incident. Mu-76-Bravo received a reprimand for unprofessional behavior; no further action was deemed necessary. Sonar readings combined with later ground penetrating radar tests revealed that the stone caverns MX-0322 was exploring were the oral cavity, esophagus, and stomach of an anomalously large (~5.5km long) specimen of Caiman crocodilus that had been fossilized by unknown means.

+ Incident XXXX-1-1

SCP-XXXX-1 after defacement

On 10 November, 1989, after SCP-XXXX-2 had been secured at Site 76, the Foundation returned to SCP-XXXX-1 to retrieve and secure it, only to find that it had been unearthed and defaced. Much of the face had been worn away and deep gouges had been cut into the stone by unknown means. Chemical analysis also revealed that SCP-XXXX-1 had been sprayed with blood, origin unknown. It is currently unknown if this type of defacement renders SCP-XXXX ineffective, but given the impracticality of testing that hypothesis the Foundation chose to secure instances of SCP-XXXX that were in pristine condition instead.

+ Incident XXXX-8-1

On 12 January, 2009, three people, two of which were of Olmec descent, entered the Parque-Museo La Venta in Villahermosa and damaged 23 artifacts, including SCP-XXXX-8, SCP-XXXX-9, SCP-XXXX-10, and SCP-XXXX-11. The vandals were all members of the ███ ██████████ church and appeared to have been carrying out a pre-Columbian ritual, during which salts, grape juice, oil and crab meat were thrown on the heads. During the ritual they were heard chanting in an early form of Mixe–Zoquean language. Some of it was untranslatable but the most common phrase has been translated by Foundation linguists to mean: "The chains are broken. The watchers are blind. Rise, Zipacna, rise." The church that two of the vandals claimed to be pastors at has been investigated by Foundation personnel, no significant ties to [REDACTED] found.

Footnotes

1. Having three in custody should be enough, but do we really want to take any chances on what could potentially be a VK-class mass casualty event? Recommend securing as many additional instances as possible.- Dr. D████████