Puna Pau facts for kids
Puna Pau is a special place on Easter Island, which is a Chilean island in the Pacific Ocean. It's a small volcano crater, also called a cinder cone. Long ago, it was a very important quarry, a place where people dug for stone.
Puna Pau is located near the town of Hanga Roa on the southwest side of Easter Island. It's also the name of one of the seven areas within the Rapa Nui National Park.
The Red Stone Quarry
Puna Pau was the only place where the ancient Rapanui found a special red stone called scoria. This red scoria was used to make the unique "topknots" or hats, called pukao, that sit on the heads of some of the famous moai statues.
What the Stone Was Used For
The Rapanui people carved these pukao right at Puna Pau. Then, they carefully moved them to the places where the moai statues stood. The stone from Puna Pau was also used for parts of the ahu, which are the stone platforms where the moai stood.
Archaeologists, who are scientists who study ancient times, have done a lot of work at Puna Pau. They carried out excavations between 2009 and 2013. This work helped them learn more about how the Rapanui people used this important quarry.
Brochure
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Inside of park brochure for Puna Pau (in Spanish)
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Outside of park brochure for Puna Pau (in English)
See also
In Spanish: Puna Pau para niños
