Chile: Easter Island Monoliths May Be Fakes
Chile investigating Whether Easter Island Monoliths Stolen Or Fake
POSTED: 12:11 p.m. EST January 8, 2003
UPDATED: 1:05 p.m. EST January 8, 2003
MIAMI -- An art gallery trying to sell two gigantic monoliths said to be from Easter Island for a collector has been told that the sculptures may have been taken illegally from the Chilean isle or, even worse, that they could be fakes.
The Chilean agency responsible for preserving and monitoring the country's national monuments began an investigation this week of the pieces, which are currently at Cronos Art in Miami. The Chilean government says it has never authorized any shipments from the remote island located 2,300 miles west of South America in the Pacific.
"There is no permission for articles to leave Easter Island for mainland Chile, nor Chile to a foreign country," Mario Vasquez, an archaeologist for the Council of National Monuments, said Tuesday.
Vasquez said there is a possibility the stone heads, known as "moais," could be reproductions carved by well-known Easter Island artisan Juan Pakarati. If they are real, they were made centuries ago to represent the Easter Islanders' gods and chieftains.
According to Chilean law, since 1925 all historic objects on Easter Island are considered property of the government. For the pieces in the Miami collection to be considered private property, they must have been acquired before then.
The collector, Hernan Garcia de Gonzalo Vidal, says one of his uncles obtained the pieces in 1912, according to press materials released by Cronos Art.
"To the best of our knowledge, the data contained in it reflects only the most accurate information that has been researched and verified," said Cronos Art's president and director, Jose Manuel Perez Marti, in a statement Tuesday. He said he would not elaborate because of the investigation.
The Chilean agency is planning to send an expert to Miami to examine the pieces "as soon as possible," Vasquez told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The moais, the largest of which weighs more than two tons and stands nearly five feet high, have been on display since early December.
Gallery spokesman Jim Power said he and his client have not been contacted by the Chilean government and only learned of the investigation from a newspaper in Santiago. Power said Garcia and Perez would not be speaking to the media.
Garcia is an island researcher who was once a vice minister in the military government of former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet. He received permission from the Chilean agency in 2001 to move the collection from his home in Santiago to Miami, according to the press kit released by the gallery for the debut of the collection last month.
According to the press kit, one of Garcia's uncles was given several stone moai in 1912 when a Chilean merchant ship he was traveling on stopped for supplies on Easter Island, known as Rapa Nui in the local language.
He acquired the statues for helping island residents develop the local economy and raising funds to build a hospital and a museum to display Easter Island treasures, according to the gallery.
EASTER ISLAND  Easter Island Photo Album - Photos by Lee Van Court.
 Secrets Of Easter Island - PBS interactive documentary on the island.
Mysterious Places: Easter Island - history of the island and virtual tour.
Easter Island Foundation - dedicated to conservation of the island's natural resources.
The Lonely Planet Guide: Chile and Easter Island - travel and other info.
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Vasquez said there is a possibility the stone heads, known as "moais," could be reproductions carved by well-known Easter Island artisan Juan Pakarati. If they are real, they were made centuries ago to represent the Easter Islanders' gods and chieftains.
According to Chilean law, since 1925 all historic objects on Easter Island are considered property of the government. For the pieces in the Miami collection to be considered private property, they must have been acquired before then.
The collector, Hernan Garcia de Gonzalo Vidal, says one of his uncles obtained the pieces in 1912, according to press materials released by Cronos Art.
"To the best of our knowledge, the data contained in it reflects only the most accurate information that has been researched and verified," said Cronos Art's president and director, Jose Manuel Perez Marti, in a statement Tuesday. He said he would not elaborate because of the investigation.
The Chilean agency is planning to send an expert to Miami to examine the pieces "as soon as possible," Vasquez told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The moais, the largest of which weighs more than two tons and stands nearly five feet high, have been on display since early December.
Gallery spokesman Jim Power said he and his client have not been contacted by the Chilean government and only learned of the investigation from a newspaper in Santiago. Power said Garcia and Perez would not be speaking to the media.
Garcia is an island researcher who was once a vice minister in the military government of former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet. He received permission from the Chilean agency in 2001 to move the collection from his home in Santiago to Miami, according to the press kit released by the gallery for the debut of the collection last month.
According to the press kit, one of Garcia's uncles was given several stone moai in 1912 when a Chilean merchant ship he was traveling on stopped for supplies on Easter Island, known as Rapa Nui in the local language.
He acquired the statues for helping island residents develop the local economy and raising funds to build a hospital and a museum to display Easter Island treasures, according to the gallery.
Copyright 2003 by NBC6.net The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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