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Easter Island, Chile

We craft monuments to our deities from materials close at hand. On Easter Island the monuments were moai, giant sculptures of ancestors, and the material was almost always tuff, solidified volcanic ash. Craftsmen worked the quarry at Rano Raraku, a volcanic crater at the center of the island and teams of islanders would transport the sculptures to locations all around the island using a method that is still a mystery. After centuries of neglect, the moai are today protected in Rapa Nui National Park, which is honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cruise visitors can climb up to the craters at Rano Raraku or Rano Kau or drive along the coast. You'll see moai everywhere.