Three of the new wonders are located in The Americas. Chichen Itza is located along the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. This city was a stronghold of the Mayan Empire and shows the civilization's architectural ingenuity. After the Mayans were conquered by explorers, Chichen Itza was used as a pilgrimage site. Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a symbol of Christianity standing 130 feet tall. Machu Picchu was constructed by the Inca empire in the 15th century and was abandoned after just 100 years. Archaeologists believe it was used for religious purposes.
Although most of the ancient wonders were either in Greece or constructed in territories part of the Hellenistic civilization, only one of the new wonders is located in Europe. The Colosseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater, was built around 72 A.D., and was used as a site for gladatorial matches, public executions, dramatic recounts of mythology and battle reenactments. The arena was capable of seating 50,000 spectators.
Petra is a historical city of the Nabataeans located in Jordan. The sixth century city was unknown to the western world until explorer Johann Burckhardt introduced it in 1812. Petra was the capital of the Nabataean empire and Greek writer Pliny the Elder wrote that it was the center of their caravan trade. It is an architectural marvel in terms of water management. City water was controlled by the construction of tunnels and water chambers.
Located in Agra, India, the Taj Mahal is one of the most iconic buildings in the world. Though it looks like a palace, it was actually constructed as a mausoleum in memory of Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of Shah Jahan, the fifth Muslim Mogul emperor. Construction took over 20 years and employed 20,000 people. Construction began on the Great Wall of China originally in the fifth century B.C.. The wall is made out of stone and earth, later brick, and spans the area of Lop Nur in the west to Shanhaiguan in the east. It was built to protect the northern border of the Chinese empire from invaders.
