a new statue discovered in a dry lagoon

A new moai, these characteristic statues of Easter Island, has been discovered in a dry lagoon of the crater of a volcano, announced the indigenous community in charge of the administration of the national park on Wednesday March 2. “This moai sits in the center of a lagoon that began to dry up in 2018”explained to AFP the director of the Ma’u Henua community, who believes that this discovery could open new perspectives on the history of this Chilean territory in the Pacific Ocean.

The moai was discovered on February 21 by a team of scientists from three Chilean universities, who are collaborating with the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) for the recovery of a wetland located in the Rano Raraku crater. The site had been damaged in October by a fire. “What is interesting is that, at least for the last 200 or 300 years, the lagoon has been three meters deep, so no human being could have left this moai there”underlined the director of the community Ma’u Henua.

The statue, which is 1.60 meters long, was discovered lying on its side, “with a full body and recognizable but not clearly defined features”. The Ma’u Henua community is said to be “looking for funding to conduct an in-depth study of this discovery”. Isolated in the middle of the Pacific, 3,500 km from the Chilean coast, Easter Island, of Polynesian culture, is known worldwide for its impressive megaliths of mysterious origin, listed as World Heritage by Unesco. Some statues can reach 20 meters in height and weigh up to 80 tons.