St. George

St. George

Diquís

Georgia Tech 

Georgia

 

Rom.12:2

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

 

 

 

Donatello, St. George

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stone spheres of Diquís, Costa Rica

 

 

 

The Diquis culture was a pre-Columbian indigenous culture of Costa Rica that flourished from AD 700 to 1530. The word “diquís” means “great waters” or “great river” in the Boruca language. The Diquis formed part of the Greater Chiriqui culture that spanned from southern Costa Rica to western Panama. The Diquis are known for stone spheres, sometimes referred to as the Diquís Spheres, an assortment of over three hundred petrospheres in Costa Rica, located on the Diquis Delta and on Isla del Caño. Sites where the stone spheres were found also contain artificial mounds, paved areas, and burial sites. The Diquis are also known for their unique artifacts such as peg-based statues that depict women and men, and the delta’s metallurgy, represented by gold and tumbaga artifacts. The elongated, flattened peg-base statues of men and women are representative of a distinct style associated with the Diquis region. The statues were made primarily from four types of material: gabbro, granodiorite, limestone, and sandstone. They varied in size from 50 cm to two meters. Lizard or feline masks are a major motif in the delta’s statuary and metallurgy, while geometric motifs are found in both the ceramics and statuary of the delta.

The Diquís Spheres are an assortment of over 300 petrospheres located in Costa Rica, specifically on the Diquís Delta and Isla del Caño. They are also known locally as “bolas de piedra”, which translates to "stone balls"1. These spheres are commonly attributed to the extinct Diquís culture, and are sometimes referred to as the Diquís Spheres1. They are the best-known stone sculptures of the Isthmo-Colombian area.

The spheres range in size from a few centimeters to over 2 meters (6.5 ft) in diameter, and can weigh up to 16 tons. Most of them are sculpted from gabbro, the coarse-grained equivalent of basalt1. There are a dozen or so made from shell-rich limestone, and another dozen made from sandstone. They appear to have been made by hammering natural boulders with other rocks, then polishing with sand.

The exact significance of these spheres remains uncertain. They are thought to have been placed in lines along the approach to the houses of chiefs. Some archaeologists hypothesize that the spheres could represent solar systems or just be inspired by various stages of the sun and the moon as viewed with the naked eye, including setting or rising suns, and half moons.

In June 2014, the Precolumbian Chiefdom Settlements with Stone Spheres of the Diquís was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Today, many of the spheres have been taken from their original locations and are used as lawn ornaments across Costa Rica. A collection of six now resides in the courtyard of Costa Rica’s National Museum in San Jose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Chess:  "St. George" "Diquís" "Georgia Tech" "Georgia"