Maggie Holmes

Liz Melahn
World Geography
16 November 2014
Las Bolas
Las Bolas is a well-known landmark in Costa Rica where a large group of over
three hundred sphere boulders are spread out on the Diquis Delta and on Isla Del
Cano. These spheres are thought of to be part of the Diquis culture which is now
extinct. These spheres are known as Las Bolas to the locals, but they are also
referred to as the Stone Spheres (or Stone Balls) of Costa Rica, or as the Diquis
Spheres. The spheres are many different sizes ranging from a few centimeters to
over 6.6ft, and can weigh up to 15 tons. Most of the Stone Spheres are made from
Gabbro, which is basically the grained version of basalt, and others are made from
limestone and sandstone. These spheres are thought to have been created in the
year 600, but most are dated from before the Spanish conquest in 1,000. Many of
the stone spheres have now been moved from their original locations, and the
people who made them were gone after the Spanish conquest. These spheres were
first found in the 1930s by the United Fruit Company who was clearing out the
jungle to put in banana plantations, in this process many of the boulders were
moved and damaged by the workmen and their bulldozers and heavy equipment.
Some of the workmen even believed the theories of gold hidden inside of these
spheres, so many had holes drilled into them or were blown to bits by sticks of
dynamite.