History
According to the current studies, the island was discovered 1.500 years ago approximately. But, it is with the migration polinesica of the ariki Hotu Matu'a that begins the history of this island in the century IX or a bit later. This group polinésico (with test(proof) of analysis ADN) installs and develops to itself, throughout the centuries, a worship of the death with the statues MOAI, the only worship in the world reserved for the chiefs of tribes and clans with the aim to protect fertility and fecundity in this society of type feodal. In spite of the scanty resources of sweet water and the climatic variations, the adjustment to the environment is done progressively with the development of the agriculture and fishing arranged according to the cycle of the phases of the moon, of the equinoxes and solstices and also concerning the "tapu". In the century XVII, a population is estimated of more than 10.000 inhabitants; the carved one of the statues turns gigantic (more of 8m, 10m 12m … up to them 22m for the biggest moai not finished of the Rano Raraku). The accidents are numerous and the sacred act of esculture, honourable act of spirituality, it transforms little by little in an essentially material act; the society fragilizada leads the people to the revolt. According to the archeologists, it is about 1670, 1680 that the wars between clans begin. The royalty loses its political and economic power for the profit of the warlike so called chiefs matato'a. The above mentioned untie blood and fire incendiary making fall down to the Moai. Since then, the priests of the solar religion organize concerning the second representative of the god Make Make: the bird frigate, with rites and annual ceremony of the "Tangata Manu", man bird, allowing to deliver political, economic and spiritual power, of alternated way, with the search of the first egg of frigate in the sector of Orongo and of the islands opposite to the Rano Kau. These ceremonies continue up to the evangelización for the missionaries of Tahiti, in 1868.
But, it is an overcoat, in the century XIX, which worsens the destruction of this only culture with kidnappings, diseases brought by the navigators of the old world, the slavery towards Peru and the work forced in the plantations of Tahiti. The despicable one Dutrou Bornier is proclaimed a French king of the Island of Easter in 1872; since then, the missionaries are expelled and it is only in 1888 that the captain Policarpo Toro annexes the island to Chile.
Little by little, bad treatments of the ranchers of sheeps and managers of this territory drive to debilitating more and more this people that becomes poor and wretched culturally.In 1955, the island is reborn culturally thanks to the Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl and the archeologist William Mulloy. The archaeological restorations begin. This small territory is opened for the world with the first flight from Chile with the pilot Roberto Parrague.
In 1965 there is the creation of the first municipality and, in 1967; the Lan Chile's first commercial flights begin with the inauguration of the airport Mataveri.At the end of the sixties, "Linbland Explorer" is the first agency of tourism. It Easter Island enters the modernity with more than 60.000 tourists in the year 2007. Now, It Easter Island needs a firm structure with a control of the tourist flow and a protection of the patrimony of so much value.
Chronology
600: Arrival of the first inhabitants of Rapa Nui from the islands marquises.
713: Construction of the ahu Tahai, the most ancient of the island.
1000: It begins the period of summit of the megalithic architecture of Rapa Nui.
1680: A period of conflicts begins between the lineages rapanui, that he leads to the destruction of great part) of the moai.
1687: The pirate English Edward Davis spies a mountainous island to the 27 º 20 ' south latitude; to 500 leagues to the west of Copiapo
1722: The Dutch traveler Jacob Roggeveen discovers an island to 2.700 miles of the coasts of chili. The company is carried out the day of Pascua of resurrection; commemoration that gave the name to the new find.
1770: The Spanish wreath takes possession of the island, with the intention of joining Juan Fernandez and Chiloe, seize another strategic point of Spain in the pacific one
1774: The captain English James Cook visited the island. It is impressed by your monuments and by the poverty of your inhabitants
1782: It drifts Molina includes in his compendium of the geographical natural and civil history of the kingdom of chili, to Easter Island as part of the national territory.
1786: Brief expedition of the French count Jean-Francois Galup, count of the Perousse.
1862: A flotilla of slave-trading ships comes to the island with the intention of capturing native to lead them as slaves to working to the guaneras of the coast of Peru. Thanks to the intervention of the French government and of the English before the Peruvian, they give themselves orders to repatriate the islanders that had not succumbed to the smallpox and the tuberculosis. Approximately fifteen returned, but lamentably they brought I obtain the smallpox, which contagion was lethal for the population of the island.
1864: It comes to it Rapa Nui the Franciscan mission of the sacred hearts of picpus, congregation to which the evangelizing apostle concerned Joseph Eugene Eyraud
1868: Arrival of the nose abtao, the first Chilean nose that moored in Easter Islan
1870: Arrival of the corvette O’Higgins. Raising of the first national plane of Rapa Nui. Study of flora, fauna and customs of your inhabitants
1870: The French adventurer comes to the island Dutroux-Bornier who seeks to get hold of the lands for your exploitation. His associate Tahitian John Brander recruits workers for your plantations in other islands, remaining only 175 Rapa Nui as workforce.
1886-1887: For order of the president of the republic José Manuel Balmaceda (1840- 1891), authorizes the legal processing to annex Easter Island to the Chilean territory.
1888-1895: One gives beginning to the phase of settling of Rapa Nui. The island transforms in an enormous estate ovejera, the islanders accustomed to the fishing, happen to be tenants of the foreign companies who exploit the island.
1888: The captain of corvette and commander of the nose angamos, polywrist stolen bull, was the manager of taking possession of Rapa Nui for the government of Chili.
1915: Due to the mistreatment of which they were been object the islanders; the Chilean government creates a commission to study the problems of the native population. The culture of the maize interfered with good results
1917: The island was put under the dependence of the direction of the maritime territory of Valparaiso and submitted to the authority and naval laws
1936: One reaches an agreement with the exploitative company, which resigned all your rights on it Rapa Nui; in exchange the government delivered it to them in lease for 20 years, with a series of obligations as: to establish communications radiotelephonic, maritime transport, to repair the school and the church
1955: One gives beginning to an archaeological systematic investigation of Rapa Nui, at the expense of the archeologist Thor Heyerdahl.
1965: The Easter Island happens to be a department of it Vth region.
1975: The Easter Island is incorporated as province of it Vth region.
1976: The name changes of “Park Easter Island “for " National Park Rapa Nui " which occupies nowadays a surface of 7.130 hectares, approximately 43 % of the total surface of the island.
1995: The national park Rapa Nui is declared world patrimony by UNESCO, in the category of “cultural landscape”.