The Diquís Stone Spheres

Somewhere between the sixth and sixteenth centuries, people in the Diquís delta carved hundreds of stone spheres, mostly from gabbro, some over two metres across and weighing several tonnes, and shaped them to a precision that is still not fully explained. They were arranged in lines and groups in front of important structures, apparently marking status and possibly astronomical alignments. Most were moved in the twentieth century when banana plantations cleared the delta, and many were damaged or dynamited by treasure hunters. Four sites where spheres remain in their original positions, Finca 6 among them, were inscribed by UNESCO in 2014, and the museum at Finca 6 sets out what is known.

The main sights

• Spheres in situ - the alignments still standing where they were placed.
• The Finca 6 museum - the archaeology and what remains unexplained.
• The precision - shaping accurate enough to puzzle researchers.
• The delta setting - the flat alluvial plain the culture worked.

When to go

December to April is drier; the delta is very wet the rest of the year. Mornings are cooler for walking the open site. It takes about two hours and is often almost empty.

Good to know

There is not much to see beyond spheres in a field and a small museum, and visitors expecting a large ruin will be disappointed; the significance is in the precision and the alignments rather than in scale. It is a long drive from anywhere. Many spheres around the country are in parks and gardens, moved from their original positions and therefore meaningless archaeologically.

Nearby

Sierpe and the mangroves are nearby; Drake Bay boats leave from Sierpe.