Ahu Vinapu, Archaeological site on the southeastern coast of Easter Island, Chile
Ahu Vinapu is an archaeological site on the southeastern coast featuring two ceremonial platforms with stone walls built from large basalt blocks fitted together with remarkable precision. The stones align so tightly that a knife blade could barely fit between them.
This location was built around 1200 AD when the Rapa Nui people constructed these platforms using advanced building methods. Later generations continued to use and modify the site, showing it remained a place of religious importance for centuries.
The main platform holds six fallen moai statues with three pukao headdresses, reflecting how the ancient islanders honored their ancestors through ritual and ceremony. These figures reveal the spiritual importance of stone carving and ancestor veneration in daily island life.
This site sits near the airport runway on the island and is open year-round as part of Rapa Nui National Park. Since the location is windswept and fully exposed to the sun, bring water and sun protection.
The stone wall faces directly toward the winter solstice sunrise, revealing the astronomical knowledge of the ancient builders. This precise alignment shows they understood the heavens well enough to orient their sacred structures accordingly.
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