lunes, 18 de abril de 2011

9. THE MOAIS OF PASCUA ISLAND ( Chile)


Lost in the deep silence of the Pacific Ocean, lies the island of Rapa Nui, also known as the Pascua Island.
Around the giant sculptures, many mysteries as no one was able to determine how those Indians are extinct, or were able to transport and build similar statues that can reach 10 meters high, 7.5 meters in diameter and almost 20 tons of weight and age could be traced to IV or V century AD, the themselves indigenous people say they were transported by ships flying.
All the moais that were erected on their ahu looked into the island, except the seven located in Akivi Ahu Beach, which is said to represent the seven explorers who came to Pascua Island after the first settlers.

8. ALHAMBRA PALACE (Spain)


Construction started in 1238 by King Muhammad I, its main characteristics are poetry notes present on walls, lattices and gardens. The name Alhambra has its origins in an Arabic word meaning "red castle or vermilion", perhaps because acquire golden tone under the sun.
You can access it by four gates: Gate o the arrabal weapons, Seven Floors and Justice or Esplanade. It consists of three zones: the Alcazaba, accommodation of the military garrison that was in charge of defense, and the oldest part of the whole, the area Nazari Palaces and gardens of the Generalife.
During the century XVIII and part of the century XIX, fell into oblivion and its halls and rooms were used as bars and stalls where people lived a bad life. In 1870, the Alhambra was declared a national monument to be restored, to the admiration and enjoyment of everyone.

7. TAJ MAHAL (India)


Taj Mahal, a mausoleum built on the southern bank of the Yamuna river, outside Agra in India. It was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal whose real name was Arjumand banu beagum.
It was built in the memory of the beautiful Arjumand Bano Begum, who won the heart of a Mughal prince. She was married at 21 to Emperor Jahangir’s third son Prince Khurram and stayed loyally by his side through good times and bad: in the luxurious royal palaces of Agra as well as the transient tents of war camps. In AD 1628, Khurram became king after a bloody battle of succession: he took the name Shahjahan or “King of the World” and showered his beloved begum with the highest titles. She became Mumtaz Mahal, the exalted of the palace and Mumtaz-ul-Zamani, the exalted of the Age. But Mumtaz Mahal was not destined to be queen for long.
In 1631, Shahjahan went on an expedition to the south and, as always, Mumtaz Mahal accompanied him. But she died in childbirth at Burhanpur. She had borne Shahjahan fourteen children, of whom four sons and three daughters survived. When Mumtaz Mahal died, she was just 39 years old. Shahjahan was inconsolable and contemporary chronicles tell of the royal court mourning for two years. there was no music, no feasting, and no celebration of any kind.
Work on the mausoleum began in 1633 and 20,000 workers laboured for 17 years to build it.

6. COLISEUM ROME (Roma)


The Colosseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre, is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.
Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started in 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus, with further modifications being made during Domitian's reign (81–96).
Capable of seating 50,000 spectators,the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.
Dio Cassius recounts that over 9,000 wild animals were killed during the inaugural games of the amphitheatre.
Beneath the Colosseum, a network of subterranean passageways once used to transport wild animals and gladiators to the arena opened to the public in summer 2010.

5. CHICHÈN ITZÀ (México)


Chichen 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 Yucatán Peninsula, in the Yucatán state, present-day Mexico.
The ruins of Chichen Itza are federal property, and the site’s stewardship is maintained by Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (National Institute of Anthropology and History, INAH). The land under the monuments had been privately-owned until March 29, 2010, when it was purchased by the state of Yucatán.
Northern Yucatán is arid, and the rivers in the interior all run underground. There are two large, natural sink holes, called cenotes, that could have provided plentiful water year round at Chichen, making it attractive for settlement.
Edward Herbert Thompson dredged the Cenote Sagrado from 1904 to 1910, and recovered artifacts of gold, jade, pottery, and incense, as well as human remains. A recent study of human remains taken from the Cenote Sagrado found that they had wounds consistent with human sacrifice.
Dominating the center of Chichén is the Temple of Kukulkan (the Maya name for Quetzalcoatl), often referred to as "El Castillo" (the castle). On the Spring and Autumn equinox, at the rising and setting of the sun, the corner of the structure casts a shadow in the shape of a plumed serpent (Kukulcan, or Quetzalcoatl) , along the west side of the north staircase. On these two annual occasions, the shadows from the corner tiers slither down the northern side of the pyramid with the sun's movement to the serpent's head at the base.

4. MACHU PICCHU (Perú)


Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 metres above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 kilometres northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World.
Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham.Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.Its three primary buildings are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows.
Johan Reinhard presented evidence that the site was selected because of its position relative to sacred landscape features such as its mountains, which are purported to be in alignment with key astronomical events important to the Incas.
Different types of crops could be tested in the many different micro-climates afforded by the location and the terraces; these were not large enough to grow food on a large scale, but may have been used to determine what could grow where.

3. CHRIST THE REDEEMER (Brazil)


Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; considered the second largest Art Deco statue in the world.It is 39.6 metres tall, including its 9.5 metres pedestal, and 30 metres wide. It weighs 635 tonnes, and is located at the peak of the 700 metre Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city. A symbol of Christianity, the statue has become an icon of Rio and Brazil. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone, and was constructed between 1922 and 1931.
Local engineer Heitor da Silva Costa designed the statue; it was sculpted by French sculptor Paul Landowski.
Construction took nine years, from 1922 to 1931 and cost the equivalent of US$250,000 ($3,068,097 in 2011). The monument was opened on October 12, 1931.
In October 2006, on the statue's 75th anniversary, Archbishop of Rio Cardinal Eusebio Oscar Scheid consecrated a chapel with name "Nossa Senhora Aparecida",  under the statue. This allows Catholics to hold baptisms and weddings there.