Ahu Tongariki

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Main articles: Moai and Easter Island#Ahu
Ahu Tongariki with Poike Volcano in the background. The second Moai from the right has a Pukao on its head
Ahu Tongariki with Poike Volcano in the background. The second Moai from the right has a Pukao on its head

Ahu Tongariki is the largest Ahu on Rapa Nui/Easter Island (a Chilean island in the Pacific). Its Moai were toppled during the island's civil wars and in the twentieth century the Ahu was swept inland by a tidal wave. It has since been restored and has 15 Moai including an 86 tonne moai that is the heaviest ever erected on the island. Ahu Tongariki is close to Rano Raraku and Poike in the Rapa Nui National Park.

Ahu Tongariki was substantially restored in the 1990s by a multidisciplinary team headed by archaeologists Claudio Cristino (Director) and Patricia Vargas (Co-director executive team), in a five years project carried out under an official agreement of the Chilean Government with Tadano Lt. and the University of Chile.

Map of Rapa Nui showing major Ahus with Moai. Ahu Tongariki, and Rano Raraku are on the South coast just before Poike at the eastern end of the island.
Map of Rapa Nui showing major Ahus with Moai. Ahu Tongariki, and Rano Raraku are on the South coast just before Poike at the eastern end of the island.

Ahu Tongariki was the main centre and capital of the Hotu Iti the eastern confederation of the Rapanui.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Fischer 2005 Island at the end of the world ISBN 1-86189-282-9

[edit] External links

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