We drove to the flanks of a volcanic crater, Rano Raku, where the majority of the moai were quarried. Approximately 1,000 moai were carved beginning in 1200's AD and continuing to 1700's. 1722 is a specific date because that's when the contact with western culture came and brought with them the typical stresses on in indigenous culture. The major one of these is disease to which the natives were not immune. As mentioned before the devastation that this rot turn the people against them only and started the Birdman cult. Of the 1,000 moai approximately 300 we're finished and erected in various sites around the island. It could take 30 to 50 people up to eight months to make a single moai. Some are 30 feet tall and weigh 86 tons. However most were not that big. There must have been a surplus of resources to allow for that many people to be employed in nonessential duties. Among the different tribes there was a certain amount of keeping up with the Joneses and moai became larger and larger and the style also shifted over the years. If 300 of the statues made it to the coast to their final sites that means 700 either were abandoned while being carved due to flaws in the rocks being found, or were abandoned along the road. There were three major moai roads that led to various parts in the island. The moai werefrom volcanic Tuff which is a compressed volcanic ash. This material is relatively soft as far as the Rock's go and could be carved using basalt rocks and polished using obsidian. The following pictures are from The Quarry area Rano Raku.
Horses roam free!
The quarry in the distance
Large moai
It's a shame that this sign had to be made
A sense of the scale.
Leslie, Patricia, Fritz and Mr.Moai
It is not known why these moai are still here. Maybe they were awaiting transport, maybe the family did not accept them
Chickens get big in the volcanic soil
Every one had different facial features, as the were intended to be a portrait of an individual
The weather was great with mostly sunny skies
We could get within a few feet on many of the statues
Each of these have been excavated and measured before being reburied
Napping
Some moai had tattoos like this western sailing ship and some had smallpox scars
They were carved out of the side of the volcano. The rough features were carved here. Then when they were released from the cliff the fine features and polishing was done.
This moai was abandoned before completion
This is a great example of how the moai were carved.
One of the largest moai ever attempted. It was not finished
The center of the structure is Halo. It was used to house chickens
This is the entrance to the chicken house
