Most of the strange formations we'd seen during our first few days on Easter Island were the moai, those gigantic, very mysterious statues standing still and upright like chess pieces all in a row. (My first story about these statues is found at http://worldisround.com/articles/342296/?e )

But then we came upon a very different kind of carving, many heads scattered to and fro on a hillside. This was the place from where most of the statues of Easter Island had come,a quarry high up on the hill. It was here where the ancient peoples had unearthed the huge stones, carved them into the moai, and then moved them miles away to their final resting places.

But why were these heads scattered about, as if cast aside by some giant who'd finished playing with them like so many toys? It seemed this was a metaphor for theancient people who came to Easter Island. Why had they built their civilization, only to let it fall into almost complete disrepair?

We were about to learn at least some of the secrets of Easter Island, the most isolated spot in the world.