explora Chile - Art of Travel

Claudio graduated from the Universidad de Chile with a degree in Archaeology and Social Anthropology. He then began his career as a researcher in the northern Atacama Altiplano area. He has lived on Easter Island since 1976 and has also worked on other Polynesian islands. His work is focused on researching the archaeology of the Pacific, directing important research projects and restoring different religious monuments of the Society Islands, such as Tahiti’s Marae Vainuae and the famous ceremonial village of Orongo on Rapa Nui. He was the Field Director in charge of restoring Ahu Tongariki, the largest ceremonial site of the Eastern Pacific. The former Director of Easter Island’s Anthropological Museum, Claudio is an Associate Professor in the Anthropology Department of the Universidad de Chile and Director of the university’s Easter Island and Oceania Studies Center.

Edmundo is currently the Chief Ethnologist at the Eastern Pacific Research Foundation. Previously, he was an Associate Researcher in the Archaeology Department at Tahiti’s Centre Polynesien de Sciences Humaines and at the Easter Island and Oceania Studies Center of the Universidad de Chile. His main interests pertain to the archaeology and ethnography of Easter Island and the South Pacific. He has conducted field research on Rapa Nui, Raivavae and several other French Polynesian islands, as well as in Papua New Guinea. He began his career in 1960, participating in the restoration of Ahu Akivi, the first monument on Easter Island to be restored. Edmundo has taken part in a number of documentaries for the National Geographic and Discovery TV networks. He is currently editing a book and a series of papers related to his research on Easter Island and the Pacific.

Patricia is an Archaeologist, a Social Anthropologist and Full Professor at the Universidad de Chile. She got her academic start participating in field research conducted in the Atacama Altiplano. In 1976, she moved to Easter Island with colleague Claudio Cristino. Once there, they co-directed a research program intended to oversee the island’s archaeological surveys. This huge task is still underway, as the process of analyzing the island’s 20,000 recorded archaeological sites continues. In 1979, they co-founded the Easter Island Studies and Oceania Center of the Universidad de Chile, which was under Patricia’s direction between 1991 and 2004. She has led several research and restoration projects on Easter Island and other South Pacific islands, such as Tahiti, and Raivavae of the Austral Islands. In 1992, Patricia was responsible for the planning and co-direction of the Ahu Tongariki restoration project, which took five years to complete. With over 30 years of field experience, she is the author of several books and papers on archaeology and anthropology, and is currently the Director of the Eastern Pacific Research Foundation and Executive Director of ATS.

Terangi was born and raised on Easter Island, and also spent part of her chlldhood in Tahiti. She attended university on mainland Chile, studying journalism at the Universidad de Chile and she also conducted post-graduate studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She is an accomplished television producer, and for many years, produced programs for Chilean television, always with a focus on nature and wildlife. She has also produced several documentaries in Chile and South America for international networks such as National Geographic and the BBC. In her capacity as a researcher and field-worker, she has collaborated on various books and archaeological projects. As an enthusiastic researcher, Terangi has focused her work on intercultural relations and wildlife.

Born in Chile and raised in Argentina, Alex is currently Program Manager at ATS. He studied journalism with a specialization in international relations at the Universidad de Chile and conducted post-graduate studies at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Alex is a television producer with several years experience in directing, writing and producing television programs and reports throughout the Americas. He is a certified scuba diver and photographer, and has contributed to several publications with his photographs. Alex has focused his work on environmental issues and the study of the global ecosystem.

Atariki graduated from the Universidad del Pacífico as a Publicist with a specialization in Creativity and Persuasive Communication and is the winner of several international publicity awards. He also has a diploma in Marketing Communications from the International Advertising Association (IAA). He is currently working as a professional photographer and digital image retoucher Atariki is also a certified scuba diver with experience in diverse underwater settings. He was born on Rapa Nui and currently resides there. Atariki also lived for several years in Tahiti, French Polynesia and he studied on mainland Chile. He is an experienced traveller and has lived in intercultural situations, participating in various archaeological expeditions and field work in the Juan Fernandez Archipelago, on Easter Island and Tahiti and in Peru. His interests are focused on understanding the impact of modernity on local cultures and intercultural relations.

Maitu was born on Easter Island in 1979, and split her childhood between Rapa Nui and Tahiti in the Society Islands. Growing up in the South Pacific gave her the chance to learn first hand about the cosmology particular to Polynesian culture and to share in its oral traditions in close connection with the cultural and natural landscape. Maitu has a degree in Psychology from the Universidad de Chile and her main interest lies in the psychology of education. She has worked on several adult education progams and is also interested in art as a therapy, having studied different techniques over the years. She also researches Polynesian art, focusing on how art represents and embodies the beliefs of a culture.

Alexandra has conducted ethnographic research on Easter Island and in French Polynesia for the last 12 years. She currently lives on Easter Island, where she has worked for the Eastern Pacific Research Foundation and is part of the permanent team at ATS. As a film maker trained at Wesleyan University, she has contributed to three documentaries on Easter Island, Raivavae, the Society Islands and the Marquesas Islands. Alexandra has participated in two Explorer's Club Flag Expeditions to Raivavae and Rapa Nui. Her main interest revolves around the study of religion and the oral traditions of ancient Polynesians and how their concepts manifest themselves in different ways on the many islands of the Pacific.

María Teresa has a degree in economics and business management from the Universidad de Chile, and also has formal studies in tourism. She has been living and working on Rapa Nui since 1977, developing tourism on the islands through several companies and organizations. Her current passion is local development based on sustainable tourism on Rapa Nui and in the Valparaiso Region of Chile. Maria Teresa has several years of experience in Public Relations and Strategic Planning and Administration for small and medium-sized businesses.