Rising up to 32 feet and weighing up to 82 tons, hundreds of moai are scattered in Rano Raraku quarry, where they were carved, and across Easter Island where they were placed.
The Rapa Nui believed the moai housed a deceased person’s spirit so that he could continue to watch over their villages.
In the quarry, when the front of the moai was complete and the back was being shaped, logs were inserted under it to roll it downhill to a specific hole where the momentum would force the moai to stand up. From the quarry, it is thought they were “walked” to their final destination by putting rocks under one side and then the other making a pivoting motion possible.
Today there are 877 moai in varying locations, positions and condition; each holding its own human history of the men who created it to honor the dead.
For more information about visiting Easter Island check with Chile Travel or the experts at explora Rapa Nui resort.
