The Mysterious Stone Spheres of the Diquís

The stone spheres (or stone balls) of Costa Rica are an assortment of over three hundred petrospheres in Costa Rica, located on the Diquís Delta and on Isla del Caño. Locally, they are known as Las Bolas (literally The Balls). The spheres are commonly attributed to the extinct Diquis culture and are sometimes referred to as the Diquís Spheres. They are the best-known stone sculptures of the Isthmo-Colombian area. They are thought to have been placed in lines along the approach to the houses of chiefs, but their exact significance remains uncertain.For the first time, these mysterious balls were discovered in the 1930s. United Fruit Company workers were cleaning the area for banana plantations and were delighted when found the balls in the delta of Terraba near the towns Palmar Sur and Palmar Norte. According to the local legends there should be gold inside the stone. The workers began drilling them and splitting into pieces, until the local authorities intervened and stopped the vandalism. Nevertheless, many balls were stolen, destroyed or blown up, and only 6 spheres were left lying in the same places. They say in Central America, notable people exhibited such balls in front of houses, showing their status.