Easter Island Part 9: Akahanga

Legend tells that the first people to arrive at Easter Island were the king Hotu Matu'a and his entourage. Also according to legend, the tomb of Hotu Matu'a is located at the site of Ahu Akahanga. Archaeology has not spoken definitively on the legends yet.

( This picture of Dale in the cave, telling us about the history of the place is one of the nicer ones I got. )

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Easter Island Part 10--Rano Raraku (part 1)

Most of the famous stone statues are made from stone from the volcanic cone of Rano Raraku. One of the most striking things about the site is that it seems to have been abandoned, with moai in all stages of construction and relocation, all around the mountain. Though it is thought that it took many years for the change from the moai culture to the later culture to take hold, the impression one gets at Rano Raraku, is that work simply stopped one day--the quarry workers, stonemasons, carvers and transporters all seem to have just cast their tools down and quit. Again, this most likely took place over a period of many years, but the moai are still where they were left, some 500 to 600 years ago.

Approaching the mountain, one can see the moai, still standing, in the distance.


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