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Home > Travel South America > South America Attractions > Ahu Tongariki: Culture in Its Natural Condition
Ahu Tongariki: Culture in Its Natural Condition
In order to really understand the particular location of Ahu Tongariki, we have to go beyond for a while. It is located in an island called Easter Island, which is situated in the Polynesia. The Polynesia is a group of three islands, which are Easter Island, Hawaii and New Zealand. Easter Island is located to the west of Chile, and it is, administratively, a province of the Chilean Valparaíso Region.
Ahu Togariki refers to the largest ahu built in Rapa Nui. Around 46 years ago, it was devastated by a tsunami as a result of an earthquake. Nevertheless, many efforts have been made in order to restore it. It is specifically located between “Hanga Nui” and “Hanga Hotu Iti”, which housed the fights of different tribes. Near Tongariki site, many figures were made on the rocks with typical figures such as turtles, fishes and bird-men. This particular place is called “Papa Tataku Piki”. At the main entrance of the site where “Ahu Tongariki” is located, there is a little moai. The website wikipedia.org gives this definition for moai: “Moai (pronounced MO-EYE) are stone statues on Easter Island. In most cases, the statues are monolithic, that is, carved from single stones, but some have additional, separate stone Pukau placed on the heads. The more than 600 known Moais are distributed around the entire island.”
This altar is made up of 15 rock giants, and the biggest one of them has a length of 14 meters. Every single statue reveals different faces and bodies, each one of them boasting certain features. It is fundamental for you to know that, due to the high importance and cultural contribution of this site, the UNESCO is collaborating to preserve this amazing place. In addition, it is, definitely, the biggest ceremonial centre of the Polynesia. Therefore, when you go there, it invites you to continue traveling around this exhilarating place full of archaeological richness.
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