National Museum of Costa Rica, Military fortress turned museum in San José, Costa Rica.
The National Museum of Costa Rica occupies a former military fortress that now contains multiple exhibition halls. Inside are pre-Columbian objects, colonial-era items, and natural history displays spanning different periods of the country's past.
The fortress was constructed in 1917 as a military barracks and converted into a museum in 1950. Bullet marks scattered across the walls are remnants from the 1948 civil war that passed through here.
The fortress name comes from the Bellavista stronghold of colonial times. Walking through, you notice indigenous ceramics and carved jade pieces that reflect how people lived long before the Spanish arrived.
The museum sits across from the Legislative Assembly and is straightforward to locate. Budget time to see multiple exhibition spaces since the compound covers considerable ground.
The museum displays the massive Diquis stone spheres, mysterious round objects created by pre-Columbian peoples. These enigmatic artifacts are featured in the outdoor areas and draw visitor curiosity with their perfect spherical shape.
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