"This is a truly unique discovery, as it is the first time that a moai has been discovered inside the Rano Raraku crater lake," said the Ma'u Henua community, which manages the park. National Rapa Nui where the volcano is located, believing that this discovery could open new perspectives on the history of the island.
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) to recover a wetland located in the Rano Raraku crater, affected by a fire last October. .
A moai discovered in a dry lagoon in the crater of the Rano Raraku volcano, on February 24, 2023 on Easter Island, Chile © - / Ma'u Henua Indigenous Community/AFP
"This moai is in the center of a lagoon that began to dry up in 2018," Ninoska Avareipua Huki Cuadros, director of the Ma'u Henua indigenous community, told AFP.
"What is interesting is that, at least in 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 one who is also the head of Conaf on the island also known as Rapa Nui.
The moai, which measures 1.60 meters, was discovered lying on its side, "with a full body and recognizable features, but not clearly defined", indicates the Ma'u Henua community, which says it is "in search of funding to carry out an in-depth study of this discovery".
A moai discovered in a dry lagoon in the crater of the Rano Raraku volcano, on February 24, 2023 on Easter Island, Chile © - / Ma'u Henua Indigenous Community/AFP
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.
© 2023 AFP