The island was discovered by a Dutch mariner, Domingo de Pascua de Resurrección in 1771, from whom the island received its Spanish name, Isla de Pascua. Known as Rapa Nui in the native language, it is the cradle of a sophisticated and complex civilization, which produced the famous gigantic sculptures known as moais.

There are more than 800 moais, which represent worship of the ancestors, scattered throughout the island. Some never made it out of the quarry where they were sculpted, in Rano Raraku Volcano.