The Brunca Region is celebrating! The Ministry of Culture and Youth, along with the National Museum of Costa Rica, is preparing a cultural festival on April 10, 11, 12, and 13, 2025, in the areas of Palmar Norte, Palmar Sur, and Sierpe, as well as other places in the canton of Osa, with the 2025 Festival of the Spheres and the Cultural RIDE, which, in addition to Osa, will visit the cantons of Puerto Jiménez and Golfito; both events are supported by JUDESUR.
- The Festival of the Spheres and the Young Leaders Gathering will take place on April 11, 12, and 13 in the southern region of the country, while the Cultural RIDE will be held on April 10 in Puerto Jiménez, on April 11 in Osa, and will conclude on April 12 in Golfito.
- The Festival of the Spheres program includes the observation of the alignment of the sun with pre-Columbian spheres at the Finca 6 archaeological site, as well as educational and scientific activities.
Osa Awakens Its History with Culture, Music, and by Honoring Its Pre-Columbian World Heritage Sites
San José, April 1, 2025. The Brunca Region is celebrating! The Ministry of Culture and Youth (MCJ), along with the National Museum of Costa Rica (MNCR), is preparing a cultural festival on April 10, 11, 12, and 13, 2025, in the areas of Palmar Norte, Palmar Sur, and Sierpe, as well as other places in the canton of Osa, with the 2025 Festival of the Spheres and the Cultural RIDE, which, in addition to Osa, will visit the cantons of Puerto Jiménez and Golfito; both events are supported by JUDESUR.
The cultural programming will allow local residents and visitors to enjoy exhibitions of flora and fauna, learn through guided tours about the pre-Columbian and banana history of Osa, its architecture, and tours of sites with stone spheres included in the UNESCO World Heritage designation, among other activities.
In addition to educational and scientific activities, there will be a wide range of cultural offerings, as various artistic groups from the MCJ will travel to the region as part of the Cultural RIDE program, an initiative of the MCJ. Additionally, there will be a first gathering of young people for the cultural heritage of the entire country, convening in Palmar Norte and Sur, as part of an activity led by UNESCO.
“The chiefdom sites with stone spheres of the Diquís are four Costa Rican archaeological zones that have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO; an invaluable treasure we must protect and preserve. That is why, from the Ministry of Culture and Youth, through the National Museum, we will hold the Festival of the Spheres with a more scientific focus, enhancing the knowledge and value of these exceptional sites. We are also adding the cultural offering of the MCJ’s Cultural RIDE program to enrich the cultural proposal and attract more audiences. Make your plans, visit the Brunca Region, and enjoy the programming we have prepared!” stated Jorge Rodríguez Vives.
A Diverse Agenda
- Festival of the Spheres 2025
Activities will begin at 5 a.m. on April 11 with the observation of the alignment of pre-Columbian spheres with the sun at the Finca 6 archaeological monument. Twice a year, during the zenith sun of April and August, the sun rises aligned with the pre-Columbian spheres that remain in their original location at this World Heritage monument. This activity will be repeated on Saturday, April 12, and Sunday, April 13, 2025. Admission is free on all days of the festival.
“We want to pay tribute to the pre-Columbian spheres, a didactic journey in which visitors can learn about their origin, meaning, and the entire social, historical, and pre-Columbian context. That’s why we want to start with the observation of the alignment, a unique event at the Finca 6 archaeological site, where three spheres placed in their original location align with the sunrise. This happens twice a year and, in this case, happily coincides with the Festival of the Spheres,” explained Ifigenia Quintanilla, Director of the National Museum of Costa Rica, who added: “at Finca 6, the indigenous people placed this set of spheres to mark the movement and position of the sun. This tells us they controlled the passage of time and had astronomical knowledge.”
Furthermore, this festival is an opportunity to explore the four archaeological monuments included in the World Heritage designation—Finca 6, Batambal, El Silencio, and Grijalba—accompanied by archaeologists who will share insights about the societies that lived in the area during pre-Columbian times and who created and used the famous stone spheres. Additionally, if you enjoy fauna and learning about the fascinating world of insects, a team of biologists from the National Museum will be available for the three days with an exhibition of vertebrate animals, butterflies, beetles, and more at the CENECOOP building, next to the park in Palmar Sur, to share curiosities, importance, and conservation of the ecosystems prevalent in the area.
Music is a must at this festival dedicated to the pre-Columbian spheres. The Palmar Norte Community Band will open with a street parade on Friday, April 11, at 4:30 p.m., ending in the Palmar Norte park with a concert by the National Band of Puntarenas and guest artist Maf É Tulà, who composed a musical piece dedicated to the pre-Columbian spheres. To end the night, there will be a dance concert with La Kuarta, starting at 7:30 p.m. in the Palmar Norte park.
- Cultural RIDE
As part of the Festival of the Spheres, the Ministry of Culture and Youth will also offer its Cultural RIDE program, an initiative that seeks to encourage participation of people in rural areas in cultural, recreational, and educational activities aimed at children, youth, adults, and the elderly, as a mechanism for violence prevention and healthy use of free time.
The Cultural RIDE Brunca Region activities will take place on Thursday, April 10 in La Palma de Puerto Jiménez; Friday, April 11 in Osa; and concluding on April 12 in Golfito, which includes a visit to the Alto Comte Indigenous Territory.
Through this initiative, the Government of the Republic brings various free artistic proposals to communities, with a schedule that includes exhibitions, workshops, music, cinema, parades, literature, master classes, talks, storytelling, and more. See the full schedule at ridecultural.cr
- Meeting with Young Leaders
For three days, from April 11 to 13, during the Festival of the Spheres, 35 young people from different communities across the country will gather at the Chiefdom Settlements with Stone Spheres of the Diquís, listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, in an event where they will share their experiences related to cultural heritage in their territories. They will also work to lay the foundation for a Youth Network for Cultural Heritage.
The event’s program includes activities for exchanging knowledge and good practices, capacity building, guided tours of the four World Heritage archaeological sites, and the collaborative development of a shared action proposal for the future.
The event will be facilitated by professionals from UNESCO and the National Museum as an entity of the Ministry of Culture and Youth. The planned outcome is a joint declaration through which the youth groups can express their commitment to continue and strengthen their work in collaboration with partner institutions. This declaration is intended to be formally delivered to the highest authorities present at the event, during a closing ceremony.
“At UNESCO, we believe that protecting cultural and natural heritage, as well as promoting creativity, are drivers of sustainable development and key to peace. That’s precisely why we are excited about this space where young people committed to heritage can connect. It’s also a great opportunity to bring more people closer to Costa Rica’s cultural heritage. The fact that this event is taking place alongside other activities in the region is very important, as connecting communities to their heritage is essential. By the end of the event, we hope the joint declaration from the youth will be a working tool for both the community and authorities. We recognize the joint work we are doing with the Ministry of Culture and Youth, as well as our partnership with the National Museum, which has been essential to bringing this project to life and making this grand celebration in the Brunca Region possible,” said Alexander Leicht, Director of UNESCO’s Regional Office and Representative for Costa Rica.
The participating youth groups are:
- Youth Leaders Association of the Diquís, Osa
- Community Diving Center Ambassadors of the Sea (CCBEM), Cahuita
- Yaji Yazra Majimi, La Cruz, Guanacaste
- Civic Center for Peace, Pococí
- Cabrú Rojc Commission, Boruca
- Young leaders of the Agua Caliente archaeological monument in Cartago, as well as unaffiliated youth.
See the full program of activities in the Brunca Region at www.mcj.go.cr as well as on the social media platforms of the MCJ and the National Museum of Costa Rica.
