Archaeologists Discover Pre-Columbian Ruins

ARCHAEOLOGISTS from the Costa Rican National Museum discovered the ruins of a large pre-Columbian home dating back to 1,000 B.C. in the country’s Southern Zone, La Nación reported. National Museum Director Francisco Corrales told the daily the archaeological structure is “in good shape and with impressive dimensions.”The house has a 25-meter diameter with an 18-meter access ramp and is located in Palmar Sur, some 300 kilometers south of San José, Corrales said.The home also features a wall made of river rocks, 1.5 meters high, possibly built to protect the building from the constant flooding from the nearby Térraba River, originally named “Diquis,” which means “big water.”National Museum specialists discovered the ruins during the first large-scale archaeological excavation in the last decade on the farm “Finca 6” in Palmar Sur.The investigation spreads over 10 hectares the National Museum owns in the area. Museum officials say they want the area to be declared a World Heritage site, as it is home to the famous stone spheres found only in Costa Rica. The origins of the spheres remain a mystery.The National Museum will announce the area’s candidacy as a World Heritage site next year to the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO).Researchers told the daily that the complexity of the construction leads them to believe the home belonged to a person with great political, social and religious power, perhaps a chief.