The 7 Wonders of South America

Cool Maps: 7 Wonders

Machu Picchu

"Machu Picchu was constructed around 1450, at the height of the Inca empire, and was abandoned less than 100 years later, as the empire collapsed under Spanish conquest. Although the citadel is located only about 50 miles from Cusco, the Inca capital, it was never found and destroyed by the Spanish, as were many other Inca sites. Over the centuries, the surrounding jungle grew to enshroud the site, and few knew of its existence. It wasnt until 1911 that Yale historian and explorer Hiram Bingham brought the lost city to the worlds attention."

Christ the Redeemer Statue

"Christ the Redeemer..is a large Art Deco-style statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue stands 32 m (125 feet) tall, weighs 1000 tons and is located at the peak of the 710-m (2330-foot) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park, overlooking the city."

Panama Canal

"The canal can accommodate vessels from small private yachts up to fairly large commercial ships. The maximum size of vessel that can use the canal is known as Panamax; an increasing number of modern ships exceed this limit, and are known as post-Panamax vessels. A typical passage through the canal by a cargo ship takes around nine hours."

Teatro Colon

"The Teatro Colon..in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. The present theatre, the second with that name, opened in 1908 after twenty years under construction. It has 2,367 seats, standing room for 1,000 and a stage which is 20 m wide, 15 m high and 20 m deep."

Cueva de las Manos

"The images of hands are often negative (stencilled). Besides these there are also depictions of human beings, Guanacos, rheas, felines and other animals, as well as geometric shapes, zigzag patterns, representations of the sun, and hunting scenes. Similar paintings, though in smaller numbers, can be found in nearby caves."

Iguazu Falls

"Upon seeing Iguazu, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed "Poor Niagara!" Vastly larger than North America's Niagara Falls, Iguazu is rivalled only by Southern Africa's Victoria Falls.."

Chichen Itza

"Chichen Itza (from Yucatec Maya chich'en itza', "At the mouth of the well of the Itza") is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization, located in the northern center of the Yucatn Peninsula, present-day Mexico."