Originally the figures were covered with very heavy "red hats"
from a totally different part of the island. It will always remain a mystery on when,
who and for which reason the Moai were constructed.

The 153m high Rano Raraku (1) was the quarry of the huge,
up to 20m high figures. With a modern heavy duty crane, a Moai group (5)
was once again assembled by a Japanese team in 1993.

The mysterious mass production was abruptly terminated.
Moais already started in the rock, and heads left during the evacuation
are a witness. The final location was the coast.

The Moai, with a view to the center of the island,
were erected using huge platforms based on "Inka construction methods".

The figures were manufactured from the island's stone blocks,
displaying a cult of "bird men".

One of the three impressive volcano craters of the smaller island.

The writing of the primordial inhabitants, known as "Rongorongo", is still not
decyphered and remains a mystery for archeologists.

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