Latte stone

A latte stone is a big, heavy rock that stands up on its end like a tall, skinny person. It comes from the Mariana Islands, which are way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. A long time ago, people who lived on the islands used these rocks to build things like houses and other important buildings. They would stack them up and make walls or put a flat one on top to make a roof.

The latte stones are really special because they're made out of two parts – the big, heavy rock and a flat, round piece that sits on top. The flat piece is usually a little smaller than the rock it's on top of, kind of like how a toy fits onto a Lego block. People think that the flat piece acted as a kind of shelf or base for the building that was going on top of the latte stone.

People don't really use latte stones to build things like they used to, but they're still really important to the people of the Mariana Islands. In fact, they're such an important symbol of the islands that you can see them on the island's flag and even on their coins! Nowadays, people visit the latte stones to learn about the history of the islands and to see how people used to live a long, long time ago.