Stone spheres of Costa Rica
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 Location within Central America
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| Location | Palmar Sur, Osa, Puntarenas, Costa Rica |
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| Region | Osa, Puntarenas |
| Coordinates | 8°54′41″N 83°28′39″W / 8.91139°N 83.47750°W |
| History | |
| Periods | 500–1500 CE |
| Cultures | Diquís culture |
| Official name | Precolumbian chiefdom settlements with stone spheres of the Diquís |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iii |
| Designated | 2014 (38th session) |
| Reference no. | 1453 |
| State Party | Costa Rica |
| Region | Latin America and the Caribbean |
The stone spheres (or stone balls) of Costa Rica are an assortment of over three hundred petrospheres in Costa Rica, located on the Diquís Delta and on Isla del Caño. Locally, they are known as Las Bolas (literally The Balls). The spheres are commonly 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.
The Palmar Sur Archeological Excavations are a series of excavations of a site located in the southern portion of Costa Rica, known as the Diquís Delta. The excavations have centered on a site known as "Farm 6", dating back to the Aguas Buenas Period (300–800 CE) and Chiriquí Period (800–1550 CE).
In June 2014, the Precolumbian Chiefdom Settlements with Stone Spheres of the Diquis was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
The spheres range in size from a few centimetres to over 2 metres (6.6 ft) in diameter, and weigh up to 15 tons. Most are sculpted from gabbro, the coarse-grained equivalent of basalt. There are a dozen or so made from shell-rich limestone, and another dozen made from a sandstone. They appear to have been made by hammering natural boulders with other rocks, then polishing with sand. The degree of finishing and precision of working varies considerably. The gabbro came from sites in the hills, several kilometres away from where the finished spheres are found, though some unfinished spheres remain in the hills.
The archaeological site of Palmar Sur is located in the southern portion of Costa Rica, known as the Diquís Delta, and in the southernmost part of the Puntarenas Province. The Diquís Delta is defined as the alluvial plain with the geographical boundaries of the Fila Grisera to the north and east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Osa Mountains comprising the southern boundary. This area is defined by two seasons: wet and dry. The dry season runs from December through March with the wet season comprising the remaining months.
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