Diquis Spheres (Las Bolas) in Costa Rica 2023-2024
The origin of Costa Rican Las Bolas still remain a mystery
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Over 300 petrospheres were excavated on the Diquís Delta and Isla del Caño in Costa Rica. The mysterious stones, called bolas de piedra, likely belong to the ancient Diquís culture. Hence they are sometimes called the Diquís Spheres. Currently, these spheres can be seen in Costa Rica's National Museum in San José and at Finca 6, the Pre-Columbian archaeological site in Costa Rica.
Artifacts of the Isthmo-Colombian area vary from a few inches to over 6 feet in diameter. The spheres are made of gabbro rock, similar to basalt. Scientists believe that the spheres were made by shaping boulders with denser rocks and then polishing them with sand. The significance of the spheres is still a mystery. Some archeologists think that they were forming lines in front of the houses of chiefs. According to another hypothesis, spheres represent solar systems or various stages of the sun or moon. The sites where the spheres were found date back to the Aguas Buenas Period (300–800 AD) and Chiriquí Period (800–1550 AD).
The Diquis Delta, located in southern Costa Rican province of Puntarenas, hosts several excavations sites, known as Palmar Sur Archeological Excavations. Finca 6 (Farm 6) was a settlement featuring a cemetery, sculptures and architecture. In 2014, the Precolumbian Chiefdom Settlements with Stone Spheres of the Diquís was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.[
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