The history and development of Costa Rica is on display at the National Museum of Costa Rica, and the experience is one of a kind for its visitors.

In Spanish, El Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, is located in the downtown area of the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. It contains some of the most important relics of the isthmo-Colombian era of Costa Rica being the Stone Spheres of the Disquís or Esferas de piedra de Costa Rica. These large sphere shaped stones were found at the Palmar Sur Excavation Site, and have been dated to the periods of 300-800 AD (known as the Aguas Buenas Period) and 800-1550 AD (known as the Chiriquí Period). The spheres were originally discovered by the United Fruit Company in 1940 during some of their agricultural based digs. The Stone Spheres of the Diquís were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.

Along with the Stone Spheres of the Diquís, the National Museum of Costa Rica has an exhibit dedicated to the Nobel Peace Prize winning Óscar Arias. Arias won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his efforts at ending the crisis in Central America, and he was also President of Costa Rica from 1986 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2010. There is also a bust of the President José Figueres to be found at the National Museum. Figueres was best known for abolishing the army of Costa Rica in 1948.

Other points of interest at the National Museum of Costa Rica include a butterfly garden in the outdoor Plaza de la Democracía, a gold room (Sala de Oro), pre-Columbian stone tables and colonial, archaeological and religious artifacts. At the entrance, cannons from the colonial period are displayed prominently. These are some of the last large implements of war that remain in Costa Rica since the army was disbanded some 66 years ago.

The National Museum of Costa Rica represents a large swath of the history both current and long past that makes up Costa Rica’s past. It is certainly worthy of the time its visitors invest in coming to know what changes Costa Rica has undergone over the course of its development.