What are the Easter Island statues?

An astonishing curiosity found nowhere else in the world.

The large statues of Easter Island are representations of large humans carved into the volcanic rock of Easter Island, the most remote Chilean island from any other land. This singularity makes the very isolated Chilean territory. It was inhabited by an island tribe that arrived by sea in the 12th century. These statues are known as Moais" .

The statues

The first inhabitants of Easter Island arrived in early 13th centuryThey came from the Middle Ages, or perhaps the end of the 12th century. They came from Polynesia and brought with them the cults of their ancestors, who worshipped the previous generations. This is where the Moais, or statues, come from. They began to carve representations of their ancestors into the rock.oche volcanice. The first statues were of human sizeThey were between 1.5 and 2 metres high. But there was a increase in gigantism. During the great construction period, which lasted until the 15th century, the Moais reached a height of 7 to 8 metres. The statues consist of a head and a body, sometimes with a hat of red rock. For more realistic effects, the eyes were painted.

Most of the statues are placed in groups, but they can also be found isolated. They are located along the coast and turn inwards.

The inhabitants

Easter Island has only been colonised only at a very late stage in human history. This happened in the late 12th or early 13th century, thanks to the Polynesian sailorswho discovered the island. They are the ones who created the statues on the island. The worship was abruptly changed in the early 15th century, but it is not known why. The cult that was reference to ancestors has been abandoned at the source of the statues. The statues are not carved and remain in the quarries. This is the beginning of a new era with a new social order.

The third historical period of the island begins in 1687 and ends in 1877. This is the period of European settlement. This resulted in the extermination of the primitive population. Most of them were sold into slavery in South America. Today, almost all the island's inhabitants are not Polynesian. This is largely the result of theImmigration.

Easter Island

Easter Island is the island the farthest from any other land. Its nearest neighbour is almost 2000Km. It is a volcanic island that was formed by three volcanoes, whose craters are clearly visible. The island was originally covered in forests. However, it became progressively less wooded as the statues were built. Each of them required some trees to carry them. Not to mention the traditional use of trees in everyday life: heating, protection and house building.

Another characteristic of this island is its lack of waterways. Because it is small (30 km long and 20 km wide), the water that flows out of it does not form riverbeds. But life is impossible without water. The lakes trained in the volcanic craters have enabled the inhabitants to have access to water.

Visit Easter Island

Although Easter Island can be visited, it is not not easily accessible. The remoteness of the island is the main reason, but not the only one. The Chilean government, which owns this part of the territory, has established strict rules regarding the reception of tourists in order to protect the island's fragile resources. The main city, which is not the only one, has only a little more than 3000 inhabitants. The infrastructure tourist are limited to 200 visitors per day, and this on the on a voluntary basis. This is the quota that has been imposed on site. It is easy to implement, as most visitors arrive by aircraft. The authorities are able to control the flow of visitors as the number of flights is limited.

You need to plan your entire trip, including accommodation and visitsbefore you go to the island. It's not a good idea to find out once you get there that the tours you want are impossible due to unforeseen circumstances. It is easy to visit the Moai groupsEspecially those that are equipped for tourists. Although some are more difficult to reachIt is possible to find others if you move away from the main road. There is no a handful of roads on the island and it is still about 30 kilometres long.