Ahu Vinapu, c. 1200 A.D., was indeed the most difficult to find, of all the sights on our list of nineteen sites. This site was in an unusual place, on land beside the sea, down a decent dirt road near the airport, on the southwest end of Rapa Nui. We put Ahu Vinapu on our list as a priority on our second day of scouting for sites. We scoured the area, finding a stray pig, several cattle and a maze of rock crushers, hard at work and hidden behind the hills on the “utilitarian” end of the island. As we were searching for this site, a Lan Chile plane launched itself toward Tahiti, roaring past us with great thunder. Since planes only land on the island and take off  for South America or Polynesia once a day, except Friday, it was a startling sight and sound. However, it did give us the confidence to know we would be able to leave the following day. Back at work, Henry spotted the discreet sign indicating we were at “Vinapu”. Seeing this sight was the promise of various stone walls, laid without mortar, similar in quality to the walls at Machu Picchu in Peru. Still standings, these walls were evidence of an intelligent culture with great engineering skills. There are three Ahu here, one of which had six standing Moai, now fallen down from their original position. The second Ahu is astronomically oriented, and the third Ahu, the oldest, exists only as scattered stones. We learned that the Moai, which were made between 1000 and 1600 A.D, were later toppled by the inhabitants of Rapa Nui, as their culture moved away from the building of megaliths with its ancestor worship, to embrace the Tangata-Manu, or Birdman cult. We did find the Moai, scatttered on the ground to be interesting and haunting in their misplacement. Three Pukao were also in evidence, as well as a mysterious upright pillar. We were very happy to have found this place on the edge of the beautiful blue sea.

PHOTOS: Left Column: 1. Remnants of an Ahu with fallen Moai. 2. Detail of a stone wall, joined without mortar. 3. The oldest Ahu of the three, now scattered stones. 4. Beautifully constructed stone wall. Center, Top: Head of a fallen Moai. Center, Bottom: Henry, standing beside an upright column. Right Column: 1. A Pukao, (hat or topknot) evidently scattered from the fallen Moai. 2. Another head of a fallen Moai. 3. Jourdan, standing before the oldest Moai, now scattered stones. 4. A view of the careful wall construction.

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                           BACK TO MAP PAGE