González de Haedo’s 1770 Rapa Nui Expedition

Record summary

Felipe González de Haedo’s Spanish expedition visited Rapa Nui in 1770, formally claimed the island and produced charts, descriptions and accounts of encounters with its inhabitants. The expedition is a distinct documentary lead from Roggeveen’s earlier visit and can illuminate how Catholic, imperial and navigational narratives reinterpreted local monuments and authority. It matters for folklore comparison because later accounts often merge the two contacts into a single origin story. The Spanish records require contextual reading because ceremonies, flags and claims were interpreted through colonial legal conventions.