In the 1930s while clearing the Costa Rican jungle for banana plantations, employees of the United Fruit Company began uncovering large stone spheres buried in the forest floor. Almost immediately, the mysterious spheres became prized lawn ornaments, ending up on the front yards of government buildings, homes of wealthy buyers and fruit company executives throughout Costa Rica. Many spheres were broken in transit, and others were purposely dynamited by treasure hunters in search of hidden gold. By the time authorities intervened, dozens of stones were destroyed. Over the next several decades around 300 stones were unearthed mostly in the Diquis Delta region. The spheres range in size from a few centimeters to over 2 meters in diameter, and weigh up to 15 tons. Some remain pristine in the original places of discovery, but many others have been relocated or damaged due to erosion, fires and vandalism.

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