On the morning of this past Thursday, the transfer of three large pre-Columbian spheres will begin from the Matra facilities in Santa Ana to the National Museum at its locations in downtown San José and Pavas. These are spheres that measure 1.21, 1.29, and 1.81 meters in diameter.
Two of the pieces will be placed in the gardens of the National Museum, and the third will be moved to the Pavas headquarters. There it will undergo a restoration process. Subsequently, it would be relocated to the southern part of the country, in a site yet to be determined, the entity reported.
The process will take place starting at 7:30 a.m. and will be carried out by specialized personnel from the Cultural Heritage Protection Department of the National Museum.
Satisfaction for the recovery of the spheres
“One of the spheres that Matra delivers today weighs more than five tons.” It is an exceptional example of the monumentality of some pre-Columbian stone spheres from southern Costa Rica.
“For the National Museum, this moment and this recovery are very important,” explained the archaeologist and director of the National Museum, Ifigenia Quintanilla.
She added: “Heritage assets belong to all Costa Ricans and all citizens of the world who wish to appreciate them.” The stone spheres of Diquís gave exceptional universal value to a group of sites declared World Heritage by UNESCO. “Each sphere we recover and place in public spaces honors and accentuates the value of that declaration,” emphasized the museum’s director.
For its part, Matra -which has had them for 50 years- assured that during this time it has followed the instructions of the National Museum to ensure the preservation of these pieces.
Condition is quite good
Arturo Hernández, the archaeologist in charge of the transfer and an official from the Cultural Heritage Protection Department, explained: “The spheres are in very good condition. One of them needs intervention by the Museum’s conservators, but in general, their condition is quite good,” he noted.
The recovery of the spheres is part of the awareness campaign undertaken by the National Museum. This initiative seeks to have individuals or companies that hold national heritage assets return them.
