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How did the Peruvian slave raid of 1862 affect Easter Island?
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Easter Island
Sculptures cut from volcanic rock, Easter Island.
The 1862 slave raid launched from Peru was a catastrophic event for Easter Island. This raid, followed by subsequent smallpox epidemics, decimated the island's population, which had reached approximately 3,000 people by 1860. The combined impact of these tragedies reduced the number of inhabitants to just 111 by 1877.1