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Easter Island, Chile 2003

The Quarry, Volcan Rano Raraku

2003-12-02

This is the view as we walk up the slope of Rano Raraku, looking at one of the many quarry "workshops".  I zoomed in, not realising I would be able to stand ten feet from the workshop.  Unfinished Moai litter the ground, stuck in the ground at haphazard angles, patiently waiting to be finished.

Below the walkway in the bottom face, you can see the face of a Moai that had been roughed out, but never split from it's birthplace.  The sculptors would carve out the body and head, and then break the Moai loose at it's back.  It was then moved to a temporary spot for additional carving and polishing prior to the journey to it's Ahu.  One of the books I read says the volcanic rock is very easy to work at first, but hardens when exposed to rain and wind.