Easter Island. Chile.

The island is known for its extinct civilization, which left behind mysterious statues.

Moai, ahu, pukao

The main attraction of the island is stone statues — moai (literally from Rapanui — images). As soon as they are not called: statues, and giants, and idols, and colossi.

The vast majority of the statues were cut down from the rock of the Rano-Raraku volcano. The largest (unfinished) statue had a size of about 20 m and a weight of 270 tons. Moai statues were delivered to the coast in a completely incomprehensible way, where they were installed with their backs to the ocean, facing inland. A total of 997 moai are registered on the island.

The settlement was carried out in 3 stages. The first one occurred in 400-1200.

The second stage is called "ahu moai" — the period of sculpture creation. It lasted from 1200 to 1680. 

The final stage — "huri moai" — came when the island was discovered by the Dutch traveler Jacob Roggeveen. It happened on April 5, 1722, Easter Sunday. In honor of this holiday, Rapa Nui got its new name.