Top 5 reasons to visit Chile – Easter Island (again)

Top 5 reasons to visit Chile

Ok the scenery is dramatic and spectacular as we have seen. But Easter Island is most known for its statues called Moais. James Grant-Peterking gives very interesting insights into these statues, their purpose, their”life” and “death” and the differences between them. You can also find some good information on wiki here.

In short these statues were carved between 1250 and 1500 approximately, most of them at the Rano Raraku quarry. They represent the living faces of ancestors and were revered by the local population. They were set to face inland, providing protection to the inhabitants of Rapa Nui. Weighing up to 12 tonnes and measuring up to 10 meters, they were first carved out of the stone in the quarry then brought to their various locations.

Once the island was “discovered” by the Europeans, infighting occurred between the various clans and the Moais were toppled as their civilisation started to decay and the various clans went about warring with each other.

From the 1950’s restoration efforts have brought many of the Moais back to life and you can enjoy seeing them as long as you don’t touch !