Stone Spheres

The Stone Spheres of Costa Rica are a collection of over 300 almost perfect spherical orbs first discovery in the Diquis Delta in the 1930’s. They vary in size from a few centimeter to several meters, the larger stones weigh nearly 16 tonnes.

 Most are sculpted form granodiorite, an igneous rock similar to granite. They are believed to have been created between 200 BC and 1600 BC. The stones are often grouped together in geometrical patterns, often pointing to magnetic north. Local people call those spheres ‘Las Bolas’ and they can be found in many parts of Costa Rica.

Research is currently ongoing at the "Farm 6" site under the direction of archaeologists at the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica. The first field season in which archaeological excavations were undertaken was in 2005. Objectives during this field season included defining the area in which two mounds were located, sphere alignments, and various excavations associated with mound 2. In 2007, as second field season was undertaken focusing on archaeological excavations of Mound 1. During this field season, a stone sphere was discovered "in situ" in association with the mound.