Chile - Easter Island, Ahu Vai Uri

Easter Island - or Rapa Nui as the locals call their island - is well known for its moai, the great carved stone statues staring stonily across the island’s barren hills. The islanders used stone tools to carve a statue out of volcanic tuff. The statues were secured by bark rope attached to tree trunk capstans at the top of the ‘moai factory’. Then they were lowered down the slope into pits where, upstanding right, they were carved in the familiar shape. From there they were transported over the island to their final resting places.

Each statue was carved to represent a specific deified ancestor - "moai" means “for the progeny” or “for the descendants” - that’s why there are no two statues alike. There are almost 900 "moai" recorded on Rapa Nui; almost 400 still in the quarry, between 164 and 288 on an "ahu" (a raised rectangular platform used as a place of worship) and 200 remain on the spot were they fell or were left during transport. The average "moai" weighs 12,5 tons and stands 4 metres high.

Ahu Vai Uri is part of the Tahai Ceremonial Complex.
The Ahu Vai Uri, whose name could be translated as “dark water” or “green water” is the platform with the largest number of erected statues. Its construction dates from 1200 AD. Its five restored moai are a sample of the different styles of how they were carved.