Tongariki is Easter Island’s largest ahu and ceremonial structure, with 15 moai statues. The toppled figures were restored in the 1990s after the 1960 tsunami scattered them. They vary in size and facial features, and one wears a red-scoria pukao. The statues face inland toward Rano Raraku; both sites can be visited in one day. One moai taken to Japan was returned in 1964; a different moai went to California and later New York City, where it remains at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Tongariki: Easter Island’s largest ahu and iconic site, with 15 moai
ChileHeritage
Site mentioned
Key facts
- Tongariki is Easter Island's largest ahu and ceremonial structure, with 15 moai statues.
- It is among Rapa Nui's most photographed and iconic sites.
- Rano Raraku lies inland from Tongariki; both sites can be visited in one day.
- A moai taken to Japan by a Japanese expedition was returned to Rapa Nui in 1964; a different moai was taken to California and later to New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains.
- The moai vary in size, shape and facial features, including the size of their noses and lips.
- One of the statues wears a red-scoria pukao; the others do not.
Sources
Ahu Tongariki - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Its moais were toppled during the island's civil wars, and in the twentieth century the ahu was swept inland by a tsunami. It has since been restored and has ...
AHU TONGARIKI | The largest ceremonial platform of Easter Islandimaginarapanui.com
Ahu Tongariki is the largest ceremonial structure built on Easter Island and the most important megalithic monument in all of Polynesia.
Easter Island Part 1: The mysterious Moai - Louise Reynolds Writinglouisereynolds.com.au
At Tongariki, a Japanese company restored statues that had first been toppled during civil wars and then scattered by a Tsunami in 1960. They ...
Ahu Tongariki - largest Easter Island monument with 15 moai statueseasterisland.travel
Thanks to Japanese donations, the ahu was restored in the 1990's. Its tallest moai, measuring 9 m, is the heaviest statue to ever have been successfully ...
At Ahu Tongariki, where 15 restored moai guard the Easter Island ...thejourneytaken.wordpress.com
The 15 restored moai and ceremonial platform that comprise Ahu Tongariki on Easter Island, aka Rapa Nui, are among the most famous and most photographed of all ...
Ahu Tongariki, 15 Moai Statues Lined Up on Easter Islandtrip.com
Here, 15 Moai statues stand in a neat row, varying in height and build, each with their heads slightly raised, eyes smiling, and expressions ...
Curious Facts on Rapa Nui, Chile: From Birdmen to Half- ...wmf.org
Ahu Tongariki and its 15 moai were restored by Chile's National Center of Conservation and Restoration with support from the Japanese ...
Ahu Tongariki, the 15 moai statues - Easter Islandstock.adobe.com
Download Ahu Tongariki, the 15 moai statues - Easter Island Stock Photo and explore similar images at Adobe Stock.
Was this story useful?
Keep exploring
Every site on this page sits on the globe, and the people who research them are on the Discord.
3D Globe · Sites by country · Story Archive · Research Library · Weekly Journal · Search
AI-generated text · images from the original sources · always verify with the sources.