A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Rapa Nui covers roughly 64 square miles in the South Pacific Ocean and is located approximately 2,300 miles (3,700 km) from Chile’s west coast and 2,500 miles (4,000 km) east of Tahiti. It was annexed by Chile in the late 19th century.
The island was christened Paaseiland (Easter Island); its Spanish name is Isla de Pascua, by Dutch explorers in honor of the day of their arrival in 1722 and is most well known for the nearly 900 giant stone figures, known as Moai.
Averaging 13 feet (4 meters) high, with a weight of 13 tons, these enormous stone busts were carved out of tuff, which is the light, porous rock formed by consolidated volcanic ash, and placed atop ceremonial stone platforms called Ahus.
There has been much speculation about the exact purpose of the statues, the role they played in the ancient civilization of Rapa Nui and the way they may have been constructed and transported.
Comentarios