Category:Stone spheres of Costa Rica

English: The Pre-Columbian stone spheres of Costa Rica is an assortment of over 300 petrospheres found in the country, located on the Diquís Delta and on Isla del Caño. The spheres are attributed to the extinct Diquís 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. Archaeological excavations near the Diquís Delta have centered on a site known as "Finca 6". The Precolumbian Chiefdom Settlements with Stone Spheres of the Diquis was added in June 2014 to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The designated property includes four archaeological sites (Finca 6, Batambal, El Silencio and Grijalba-2) located in the Diquís Delta, which are considered unique examples of the complex social, economic and political systems of the period AD 500–1500. They contain artificial mounds, paved areas, burial sites and, most significantly, a collection of stone spheres, between 0.7 m and 2.57 m in diameter, whose meaning, use and production remain largely a mystery. The spheres are distinctive for their perfection, number, size and density, and placement in original locations. Their preservation from the looting that befell the vast majority of archaeological sites in Costa Rica has been attributed to the thick layers of sediment that kept them buried for centuries.