The Enigmatic Spheres of Costa Rica
In the Central America a mysterious civilization carved incredible and perfect granite spheres and positioned them according to a precise astronomical arrangement: but when? Why? How? Too many questions hover around the "Bolas"
Costa Rica: a country located in Central America, covering just 50,000 square kilometers, yet even this small strip of land contains mysteries comparable to those of other, more renowned pre-Columbian origins. This country is known for its enigmatic stone or granite spheres scattered throughout, especially in the capital, San José, which today have become monuments decorating squares and gardens.
Unfortunately, the locals do not appreciate the historical and archaeological importance of these timeless monuments, while tourists from all over the world come to this country not only to dive into the splendid Caribbean sea but also specifically to photograph these pieces of lost history.
Most of these artifacts come from the southern part of the country, found semi-buried in the soil in the impenetrable rainforest. The spheres were accidentally discovered in the 1930s in the southern regions of Costa Rica during the clearing of the forest to make way for banana plantations; during the excavations, thousands of these strange granite spheres gradually emerged from the ground. Each sphere varies in size from as small as a soccer ball to up to two meters in diameter, and in weight from a few kilograms to 24 tons.
The farmers who found the "Bolas" (ball, in Spanish: this is the familiar term used for the artifacts) did not realize their archaeological importance and thus removed them from their original locations, unaware of the historical damage caused, while others were sold to museums and private collectors; today we can admire them where they are displayed, on the streets of cities. The reason for their burial is probably due to sinking that occurred over thousands of years, also because of their enormous weight.
There is still no valid explanation from archaeologists regarding the function of the spheres, their meaning, age, the tools used to sculpt them, and who sculpted them: scholars hypothesized an age of about 2,000 years, but did not understand why those who sculpted them had chosen such an inhospitable area to place the spheres. Evidently, when they were positioned, the landscape was very different from what it is today; as happened with the Mayan pyramids, they were probably surrounded over time by tropical vegetation.
Other archaeologists believe that the spheres artistically represent the Sun and the Moon or some constellations, so with their original position, they could represent astronomical maps, while others think that their perfect sphericity is due to a natural erosion process.
The only person who discovered something interesting was the Estonian scholar Ivar Zapp, who had lived in Costa Rica for years and had long studied the enigmatic spheres. Studying the few Bolas that remained in their original locations, Zapp had an insight: using the method of archaeoastronomy and studying the country's geographical maps, he discovered that in the southern areas from which the spheres originated, there was a town called Bolas and a hill with the same name. When he connected the two areas on the map with a line using a ruler, he found that extending the line, it continued towards the sea and arrived in a small village named Uvita, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
By coincidence, another researcher, Samuel K. Lothrop, reached the same conclusion earlier, about which he wrote a book titled "Archaeology of the Diquis Delta, Costa Rica". In it, he indicated the same location as the finding place of the artifacts, showing some maps with directions or routes likely used by navigators.
In measuring their volume, Zapp discovered that they were spherical and polished so perfectly that they shone brightly from a distance; this led him to realize that his intuition was correct, that they must indeed represent routes to follow. In addition to the village of Uvita, the researcher became aware of another Uvita, an island on the opposite side of the coast, in the Atlantic Ocean, near Puerto Limón; an island where Christopher Columbus also landed. Zapp thought to connect the two Uvitas with another line and discovered that they intersected at Mount Chirripó, the highest in Central America. At the center of this line on the mountain, there is still a path called by the locals "Trail of the Cemetery of the Gold Machine." According to legend, the name comes from an object that was buried in the pre-Columbian era described as a flying machine! Arriving at the top of the mountain for an exploration, Zapp found ancient ruins, while on the sides of the same mountain, there were other routes, which he discovered thanks to the reports of a student named Humberto Carro. With this discovery, the researcher understood that this must be the correct path regarding the function of the spheres, but unfortunately, it was not possible to find more since almost all the Bolas found long ago in the area had been removed and thus the chance to discover further unknown routes was lost forever.
According to the studies reported in the book by archaeologist Lorthop, other routes had been discovered: two of these spheres indicated a route that, if extended with the usual ruler, reached Cocos Island, the Galapagos Islands, and Easter Island. Zapp, wanting to confirm his discovery, turned to a researcher, Ricardo Lopez, who found seven underground cities in the north of Costa Rica. These cities were connected by a network of roads about 60 meters wide that were only clearly visible from above. The two scholars took some photos from an airplane and were surprised to discover that these roads all started from a central city, where there was a gold mine, and like a wheel, radiated outwards, each one two kilometers long.
One of these roads followed a direction that pointed once again towards Cocos, Galapagos, and Easter Island! Once again, Zapp found confirmation for his intuition. This makes us understand that those who sculpted these spheres placed them in specific locations with the purpose of indicating precise routes and thus enabled travel across the oceans and even farther. However, the mystery of the people who sculpted them, how they sculpted them, and when remains; in our view, the spheres were created by an unknown civilization that preceded the pre-Columbian peoples, and certainly, the usual iron chisels (otherwise unknown to Mesoamerican peoples) were not used to work these granite spheres. The archaeologists themselves this time admit to facing a real enigma. We should think once again that those who built the Bolas were the same builders of megaliths since megaliths are also mentioned here.
Regarding Dr. Zapp's discovery of the routes, perhaps these were made not only to follow maritime routes but given the shininess they must have had once, perhaps they were also meant to be followed from above. Perhaps the same civilization that excavated the tunnels and underground cities that reached from the Gobi across the Pacific to Easter Island, and perhaps the seven underground cities of Costa Rica are part of this mysterious culture. (It brings to mind the mythical Seven Cities of Cibola, vainly sought by the Conquistadores). The evidence and coincidences are now really piling up: it would be time to seek the truth and reconsider some archaeological claims that are now a century old.
