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The Plaza de la Cultura cleverly conceals one of San Jose's treasures, the Museo de Oro Precolombino , or Pre-Columbian Gold Museum (Tues-Sat 10am-4pm; US$4). The bunker-like underground space is unprepossessing, but the gold on display is truly impressive - all the more extraordinary if you take into account the relative paucity of pre-Columbian artefacts in Costa Rica. The exquisitely delicate work on show is almost entirely the work of the Diquis , the ancient inhabitants of southwestern Costa Rica. Most of the pieces are small and unbelievably detailed, with a preponderance of disturbing-looking animals . Information panels (Spanish only) suggest that the chief function of these portents of evil - frogs, snakes and insects - was shamanic. The ave de rapina , or bird of prey, seems to have had particular religious relevance for the Diquis: there are tons of them here - hawks, owls and eagles, differing only incrementally in shape and size. Look out, too, for angry-looking arachnids; jaguars and alligators carrying the pathetic dangling legs of human victims in their mouths; grinning bats with wings spread; turtles, crabs, frogs, iguanas and armadillos, and a few spiny, unmistakeable lobsters. San Jose's heavily columned, grey-brown Teatro Nacional sits on the corner of C 5 and Av 2, tucked in behind the Plaza de la Cultura. The theatre's marbled stairways, gilt cherubs and red velvet carpets would look more at home in old Europe than in Central America, and remain in remarkably good condition, despite the dual onslaught of the climate and a succession of earthquakes. Even if you're not coming to see a performance, you can wander around the post-Baroque splendour, although you'll be charged US$3 in colones for the privilege - another reason to come here for a show. The elegant attached cafe serves good coffee and European-style cakes.
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