I visited Costa Rica in the 90s. I did some scuba diving through the offshore kelp forests and explored many interesting aspects of the country and its culture. Most impressive to me was the active volcano, Vulcan Arenal. It is a beautiful and nearly mystical land.

The indigenous tribes who lived in southwestern Costa Rica approximately 2,000 years ago left little evidence of their culture behind. The remaining artifacts are approximately 500 stone spheres. The spheres are evidently intentionally sculpted to a smooth finish with great care and they weigh up to 15 tons.

It is uncertain how these stones were produced or transported, and why a culture would make the massive effort to create them. It is believed that they were quarried several hundreds of miles east, and transported up and down mountains, across rivers, and even to the top of an island 15 miles out at sea.

The first written historical notation regarding the spheres is from the Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1547:

“I have heard that the elders of the realm assemble around the stone spheres, where they receive advice from the sages.”

The spheres were lost in time until re-discovered in 1939 by the Standard Fruit Company. While they were cutting down forests to create banana plantations, they ran into the spheres. Here are a few photos of the spheres.