Verified27.1144° S · 109.4253° W · 20 m
Rapa Nui National Park (Easter Island Moai)
Easter Island · Isla de Pascua · Rapa Nui Moai · Ahu and Moai complex
Rapa Nui Period 900–1500 CE; ahu construction 1000–1600 CE·Rapa Nui (Polynesian)·🇨🇱 Valparaíso Region, Chile
About
About Rapa Nui National Park (Easter Island Moai)
Remote Polynesian island 3,700 km west of Chile with nearly 900 basalt moai monoliths (up to 10 m, 86 t, one unfinished 270 t) carved 900–1500 CE at Rano Raraku tuff quarry and erected on stone ahu platforms, representing deified ancestors.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01How moai were transported kilometers without wheels
- 02Cause of deforestation and societal collapse – ecocide vs rats vs Europeans
Theories
- 01Heyerdahl's walking moai with ropes demonstrated by Hunt & Lipo
- 02Freshwater spring alignment explains ahu distribution (PLOS 2019)
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 900–1500 CE moai carving; transport to ahu 1200–1500 CE
- Period
- Rapa Nui Period 900–1500 CE; ahu construction 1000–1600 CE
- Culture
- Rapa Nui (Polynesian)
- Purpose
- Ancestor worship, status, and political authority; aligned toward villages and water
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
900–1500 CE moai carving; transport to ahu 1200–1500 CE
Initial construction
c. 1622 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
27.1144° S · 109.4253° W · 20 m · 4 mapped features
- 27.1266° S · 109.2769° W
Ahu Tongariki (15 moai)
ahu - 27.1210° S · 109.2872° W
Rano Raraku Quarry (Moai birthplace)
quarry - 27.1138° S · 109.3959° W
Ahu Akivi (inland astronomical ahu)
ahu - 27.1392° S · 109.4272° W
Ahu Tahai complex
ahu
Gallery