Diquis

The Diquis culture (sometimes spelled Diquís) was a pre-Columbian indigenous culture of Costa Rica that flourished from AD 700 to 1530.[1] The word "diquís" means "great waters" or "great river" in the Boruca language.[1] The Diquis formed part of the Greater Chiriqui culture that spanned from southern Costa Rica to western Panama.[2]

Stone sphere made by the Diquis culture.
A Diquis human effigy pendant.
Diquis stone owl

The Diquis are known for stone spheres, sometimes referred to as the Diquís Spheres, an assortment of over three hundred petrospheres in Costa Rica, located on the Diquis Delta and on Isla del Caño.[3] Sites where the stone spheres were found also contain artificial mounds, paved areas, and burial sites.[4]

Cultural Manifestations

Three types of artifacts have been found in the delta that are unique to the region and appear to have been part of the specialized industry for the production of power symbols: Stone spheres, Peg-based statues that depict women and men, and the delta’s metallurgy, represented by gold and tumbaga artifacts.[5]

Statuary

The elongated, flattened peg-base statues of men and women are representative of a distinct style associated with the Diquis region. The statues were made primarily from four types of material: gabbro, granodiorite, limestone, and sandstone. They varied in size from 50 cm to two meters. Lizard or feline masks are a major motif in the delta’s statuary and metallurgy, while geometric motifs are found in both the ceramics and statuary of the delta.[5] The statues along with the stone spheres may have formed a group of public symbols. These in conjunction with the construction of mounds and public plazas point to established social structures that among the culture they were utilized in.[5] Multiple sculptures have been found that portray individuals holding or wearing disembodied heads. Almost all of the statues are made of vesicular andesite, volcanic rock abundant in the area. [6]

See also

References
  1. "Diquís". Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  2. Drolet, Robert P. (1992). "The House and the Territory: The Organizational Structure for Chiefdom Art in the Diquis Subregion of Greater Chiriqui". In Lange, Frederick W. (ed.). Wealth and Hierarchy in the Intermediate Area: A Symposium at Dumbarton Oaks, 10th and 11th October 1987. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. pp. 207–241. ISBN 0884021912.
  3. Tim McGuinness. "Costa Rican Diquis Spheres: Sphere history". mysteryspheres.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
  4. "Precolumbian Chiefdom Settlements with Stone Spheres of the Diquís". Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  5. Gold and power in ancient Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia : a symposium at Dumbarton Oaks, 9 and 10 October 1999. Jeffrey Quilter, John W. Hoopes, Dumbarton Oaks. Washington, D.C. 2003. ISBN 0-88402-294-3. OCLC 54110115.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. Hoopes, John W. (2007), Chacon, Richard J.; Dye, David H. (eds.), "Sorcery and the Taking of Trophy Heads in Ancient Costa Rica", The Taking and Displaying of Human Body Parts as Trophies by Amerindians, Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology, Boston, MA: Springer US, pp. 444–480, doi:10.1007/978-0-387-48303-0_17, ISBN 978-0-387-48300-9, retrieved 8 May 2023

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