Mata Moai (Moai Eye)

In 1978, during restoration of the Ahu Nau-Nau group of moai on Easter Island’s Anakena beach, a surprising find was made. The archaeologists discovered two fragments of coral buried in the sand and, when pieced together, they confirmed an old belief: the moai had eyes.

The available evidence indicates that the eyes must have been inserted into the moai during the last stage of transport to their definitive site or once they were standing on their ahu (platform). This is borne out by the fact that eye sockets have not been carved in the moai left in the quarry or abandoned before reaching their site. 

This is the only complete eye to have been found, although some fragments and a smaller eye were recovered from Ahu Tongariki. Near the place where the Ahu Nau-Nau eye was found, the face of the moai to which it belonged was also discovered. Perhaps they were made for each other.

What about the eyes of the Tahai moai? They are modern and were installed between 1985 and 1986 to show how the moai would have once looked.