Chichen Itza located in Mexico, Machu Picchu in Peru, and Christ the Redeemer in Brazil were selected as three of the new Seven Wonders of the World.
The idea originated six years ago when Bernard Weber, a Swiss filmmaker decided to create a new list that allow millions of people to vote through the internet and phone. On the seventh day of the seventh month of the seventh year of the millennium (7-7-07), the winners were announced with approximately 100 million votes cast
in more than 200 countries.
Chichen Itza – which in the Mayan language means “at the mouth of the well of the Itza” – was one of the most important Mayan political, commercial, and religious centers. The city is located in the Mexican state of Yucatan. The city is home to several pyramids and buildings that are remarkable in their architectural design.
Machu Picchu was built by the Incans in the 1500’s. All of the sanctuary is by the clouds in the Andes Mountains at nearly 8,000 feet above sea level.
Christ the Redeemer statue is 125 feet tall with outstretch arms overlooking Rio de Janeiro from atop Mt. Corcovado. The statue was built in France in 1926 then shipped to Brazil weighing more than 1,000 tons.
The other new wonders of the world were The Great Wall of China, The Roman Colosseum in Rome, Italy, The Taj Mahal in India, and The Petra in Jordan. The Egyptian pyramids in Giza retain their status as the eighth wonder of the world because it is the only original wonder of the world still standing.