When Christopher Columbus discovered Costa Rica in 1502, he found a "high land, with many rivers and full of tall trees." The Spanish admired the natives for their fascinating customs and splendid works of art, including their skillful stonework. A prime example of that stone artistry can be seen in this rendering of a standing female figure. Carved from a single block of volcanic stone, this feminine figure is rendered through soft, flowing lines, her gentle hands resting atop her slightly swollen stomach. The relatively large stomach and distended naval combined with the hand gesture, indicate that this female figure is pregnant, which immediately focuses our rapt attention on her qualities of fertility and sexuality. Perhaps this female represented to the Ancient Costa Ricans the eternal mother Goddess, source of life and perpetual renewal. Whatever her initial function, the spirited presence of this powerful sculpted female figure continues to captivate us, her eternal powers forever fulfilling.