and the living through offerings provided the dead with a better place in the spirit world. Most settlements were located on the coast and moai were erected along the coastline, watching over their descendants in the settlements before them, with their backs toward the spirit world in the sea.
The act of honoring the deceased through rituals enabled them to attain a superior position in the afterlife. Typically, villages were established near the coast, and monolithic statues (moai) were erected along the shoreline, watching over their ancestors in previous settlements, with their backs turned towards the spiritual realm beneath the sea.