This is the residence of the Nahnmwarki of Madolenihmw, the primus inter pares among the five traditional paramount chiefs who preside over a delightfully complex social structure that underpins Pohnpei's vibrant native culture.Īside from Easter Island, Nan Madol is the main archaeological site in Oceania that is made up of huge rocks. There is a small house tacked on the end, with flowering bushes here and there. I follow Rufino Mauricio, Pohnpei’s only archaeologist, along a path and up a hill to what appears to be a warehouse, painted white with a corrugated metal roof. We nuzzle up to land and jump onto the remnants of a sea wall. Before I explore it, I stop to discuss its future with the man who holds sway over this part of Pohnpei. They were deeply religious and sometimes cruel, and modern Pohnpeians view the ruins as a sacred and scary place where spirits own the night.Ībandoned centuries ago and now mostly covered with jungle, Nan Madol may soon be getting a makeover. Besides the elegance of the walls and platforms, there is no carving, no art – nothing except legend to remember the people, called the Saudeleur, who ruled the island for more than a millennium. Its imposing yet graceful ruins are made of stones and columns so heavy that no one has figured out how it was built. Our destination is Nan Madol, near the southern side of the island, the only ancient city ever built atop of a coral reef. A stingray dashes in front of us, flying underwater like a butterfly alongside our bow. Beyond the breakers, the Pacific stretches 5,578 miles to California. It is nestled in a vast tapestry of coral reefs. The island, a little smaller than New York City, is part of the Federated States of Micronesia. We zigzag slowly in our skiff around the shallow coral heads surrounding Pohnpei.
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