By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
The wandersThe wandersThe wanders
  • Home
  • countries
  • Destinations
    • Luxury Escape
    • Wikio
    • Beach Hunter
    • Adventure Travel
    • Surfing Destinations
    • Ski destinations
    • The Scenic Explorer
    • Rail Journeys
    • Photography destinations
    • Urban exploration
    • Motorsport destinations
    • Military Heritage
    • Architecture
    • Historical travel
    • Dive & snorkel sites
    • Movie Sets
    • Discover
    • Protected areas
    • Abandoned places
    • routes and trails
    • PeakFinder
    • Spiritual and Pilgrimage Travel
    • Points of Interest & Spotlights
    • Overlanding
    DestinationsShow More
    Costinești
    May 17, 2025
    Pedrafita do Cebreiro
    May 16, 2025
    Băile Herculane
    May 14, 2025
    Fowey
    May 12, 2025
    Ko Lan
    May 9, 2025
  • Sights & Landmarks
    • Natural wonders
      • Caves
      • Thermal Springs/Spas
      • Lakes
      • Canyons and gorges
      • mountains
      • Waterfalls
      • Volcanoes
      • Rock formations
      • Sand dunes
    • Castles
    • bridges
    • Canals – waterways
    • Lighthouses
    Sights & LandmarksShow More
    Patarei Prison
    May 16, 2025
    Heddal Stave Church
    May 13, 2025
    Wormsloe State Historic Site
    May 2, 2025
    Salina Turda
    April 28, 2025
    Petra tou Romiou
    October 17, 2024
Reading: Moai statues
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Font ResizerAa
The wandersThe wanders
  • Travel
Search
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Travel
  • Bookmarks
  • More Foxiz
    • Sitemap
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
The wanders > Blog > wiki > countries > Chile > Moai statues
ChileSights & Landmarks

Moai statues

outdoor explorer
Last updated: December 15, 2020 7:19 pm
outdoor explorer
November 20, 2020
895 Views
1
7 Min Read
SHARE
Moai are monolithic human figures carved from stone on Easter Island or Rapa Nui , Chile.. Easter Island  is the most remote inhabited island in the world, is located in the Pacific Ocean, at a distance of almost 4,000 km from South America.  This is Easter island ( Isla de Pascua, Rapa Nui) – an amazing place, the birthplace of moai.
The island is famous for its extinct civilization, leaving behind mysterious statues -stone idols – moai . In 1995, Rapanui National Park (Easter Island) became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The overwhelming majority of “statues” were cut out of the rock of the Rano Raraku volcano. The largest (unfinished) statue measured about 20 meters and weighed 270 tons. Moai – “statues” were delivered to the coast in a completely incomprehensible way, where they were installed with their backs to the ocean, facing inland. A total of 997 moai are recorded on the island.
The exact age of the statues is still unknown today due to the lack of written records. There are indications that stonemasonry developed as early as the first settlement phase on Easter Island ,the time of which is set differently depending on the doctrine, between 400 and 1200 AD.
It is known that moai were considered to be containers of a special magical power – the mana of the Rapanui ancestors. Outwardly, moai are strikingly different from each other, there are several types of statues, Despite extensive research, its real purpose and the exact time of its construction are still debated among experts. Today it is assumed that they represent famous chiefs or universally revered ancestors who functioned as a link between this world and the other.
Despite its small population and its remote location, Rapa Nui  is a popular travel destination, especially because of the sculptures created by the indigenous people centuries ago, the moai, which can be found all over the island.

Access : Coordinates: /  Easter Island or Rapa Nui is the westernmost island of Chile and is located in Polynesia.  / The only regular flight to Easter Island is provided by the Chilean airline LAN Airlines, which fly from Santiago to Tahiti, making a stopover on Easter Island.  you can also get to Easter Island by direct flight from the capital of Peru, Lima. / The island’s attractions are accessible by cars,  taxis, rental cars, and bikes.

Contents
Moai are monolithic human figures carved from stone on Easter Island or Rapa Nui , Chile.. Easter Island  is the most remote inhabited island in the world, is located in the Pacific Ocean, at a distance of almost 4,000 km from South America.  This is Easter island ( Isla de Pascua, Rapa Nui) – an amazing place, the birthplace of moai.The island is famous for its extinct civilization, leaving behind mysterious statues -stone idols – moai . In 1995, Rapanui National Park (Easter Island) became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The overwhelming majority of “statues” were cut out of the rock of the Rano Raraku volcano. The largest (unfinished) statue measured about 20 meters and weighed 270 tons. Moai – “statues” were delivered to the coast in a completely incomprehensible way, where they were installed with their backs to the ocean, facing inland. A total of 997 moai are recorded on the island.The exact age of the statues is still unknown today due to the lack of written records. There are indications that stonemasonry developed as early as the first settlement phase on Easter Island ,the time of which is set differently depending on the doctrine, between 400 and 1200 AD. It is known that moai were considered to be containers of a special magical power – the mana of the Rapanui ancestors. Outwardly, moai are strikingly different from each other, there are several types of statues, Despite extensive research, its real purpose and the exact time of its construction are still debated among experts. Today it is assumed that they represent famous chiefs or universally revered ancestors who functioned as a link between this world and the other. Despite its small population and its remote location, Rapa Nui  is a popular travel destination, especially because of the sculptures created by the indigenous people centuries ago, the moai, which can be found all over the island.

Highlights :

  •  The typical ceremonial complex of Easter Island in classical times was usually between a village and the coast. Today it is assumed that every village that was inhabited by a clan or extended family had its own complex.
  •  Moai are stone statues on the coast of Easter Island in the form of a human head with a torso truncated at about waist level. Their height reaches 20 meters.The size of the figures probably increased more and more over time. On the Rano Raraku there is a 21-meter-long, unfinished moai preserved. The largest erect figure named Paro on Ahu Te Pito Kura is 9.8 meters high. The size of the statues is on the statistical mean 4.05 meters, the average weight 12.5 tons. ,Contrary to popular belief, they do not look towards the ocean, but inland. Some moai have redstone caps. Moai were made in quarries in the center of the island.The way of transport is controversial. Tradition reports that the Moai went to the Ahu on their own at night at the instigation of magical persons.
  •  Rano Raraku is an ancient volcano, on the slopes of which there are about 300 moai.
  •  Ahu Akivi, one of the few inland ahu, with the only moai facing the ocean.
  •  Puna Pau is a small volcano where red tuff was mined to make pukao hats that crown the heads of moai.
  •  Anakena is a coral sand beach. According to legend, it was here that the leader and forefather of the Rapanui people Khotu-Matu’a landed. Ahu Ature-Hooki and Naunau are located nearby.
  •  Tongariki is the largest ritual site  on the island, with 15 moai in a row. One of the most frequently photographed places.
  •  Rano Khao is a volcano with the best observation deck of the island. Ahu Orongo is nearby.
  •  Te Pito te Henua (the navel of the Earth) is a ceremonial platform with a special round stone.
  •  Easter island diving : you can do a unique scuba diving: divers see a copy of a moai idol under water.
  •  Apart from the stone heads there are other interesting elements. Several years ago, French missionaries discovered some pieces of wood there, where various marks are engraved that resemble the hieroglyphics of the ancient Egyptians. Historians and anthropologists believe that these paintings were the holy books of the ancient inhabitants of the island. But while many experts have tried to decipher these strange symbols, no one has succeeded.
  •  There is evidence that some of the statues may have been painted in color. Alfred Métraux found traces of red and black paint in a protected place on a figure on the Ahu Vinapu. The statue in the British Museum also shows slight traces of paint in white and red.

Activities : sightseeing / photo opportunities, There is an observation deck on the Rano Kao volcano / trekking / Diving with various companies, including coral reefs / guided tours around the island / Surfing in the numerous bays.

Go next : Anakena is the most famous beach on the island / Te-Pito-te-Henua , is a ceremonial platform on an island made of round stones.

Ackergill Tower
Château d’Azay-le-Rideau
Mont Orgueil Castle
Olavinlinna
Skansen
TAGGED:Chile
Share This Article
Facebook Email Print
Previous Article Glacier Express
Next Article Von S.Möller - Selbst fotografiert, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=251183 Quimper

Weekly Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Popular
The Merry Cemetery is a specially designed cemetery in Săpânța Municipality in Maramureș County in northern Romania
RomaniaSpiritual and Pilgrimage Travel

The Merry Cemetery , Săpânța Maramureş county

outdoor explorer
outdoor explorer
April 14, 2022
The Söderskär lighthouse
Victoria Beach Pirate Tower at Laguna Beach
Discover Quilotoa Lake: Ecuador’s Emerald Gem in the Andes
Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park

You Might Also Like

Czocha Castle is a defensive border castle located in the village of Sucha in the commune of Lesna in southwestern Poland.
CastlesPoland

Czocha Castle , Upper Lusatia

April 21, 2022
CastlesGermany

Schloss Evenburg

November 10, 2018
Abandoned placesU.S.A.

Calico Ghost Town

June 15, 2019
Sights & LandmarksSpain

Plaza de España, Seville

January 29, 2021
Show More

About Us

Welcome to The Wanders, your trusted companion and expert guide in unlocking the breathtaking beauty, rich history, and vibrant cultures of Europe.

Legal

  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Contact

Quick Link

  • MY BOOKMARK
  • INTERESTSNew
  • CONTACT US
  • BLOG INDEX

Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

The wandersThe wanders
© TheWanders Network. All Rights Reserved.
  • Contact us
  • About us
  • FAQs​
Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Join Us!
Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news, podcasts etc..
Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?