The Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World [French: La Liberté éclairant le monde]) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886. The statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue has become an iconic symbol of freedom and of the United States.
Bartholdi was inspired by French law professor and politician Édouard René de Laboulaye, who commented in 1865 that any monument raised to American independence would properly be a joint project of the French and American peoples. Due to the troubled political situation in France, work on the statue did not commence until the early 1870s. In 1875, Laboulaye proposed that the French finance the statue and the Americans provide the pedestal and the site. Bartholdi completed both the head and the torch-bearing arm before the statue was fully designed, and these pieces were exhibited for publicity at international expositions. The arm was displayed in New York's Madison Square Park from 1876 to 1882. Fundraising proved difficult, especially for the Americans, and by 1885 work on the pedestal was threatened due to lack of funds. Publisher Joseph Pulitzer of the World initiated a drive for donations to complete the project, and the campaign inspired over 120,000 contributors, most of whom gave less than a dollar. The statue was constructed in France, shipped overseas in crates, and assembled on the completed pedestal on what was then called Bedloe's Island. The statue's completion was marked by New York's first ticker-tape parade and a dedication ceremony presided over by President Grover Cleveland.
The statue was administered by the United States Lighthouse Board until 1901 and then by the Department of War; since 1933 it has been maintained by the National Park Service. The statue was closed for renovation for much of 1938. In the early 1980s, it was found to have deteriorated to such an extent that a major restoration was required. While the statue was closed from 1984 to 1986, the torch and a large part of the internal structure were replaced. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, it was closed for reasons of safety and security; the pedestal reopened in 2004 and the statue in 2009, with limits on the number of visitors allowed to ascend to the crown. The statue is scheduled to close for up to a year beginning in late 2011 so that a secondary staircase can be installed. Public access to the balcony surrounding the torch has been barred for safety reasons since 1916.
The Ruins of Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu (Quechua: Machu Pikchu) – "Old Peaks", pronounced [ˈmɑtʃu ˈpixtʃu]) – is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) 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.
The Incas started building the estate around AD 1400 but abandoned it as an official site for the Inca rulers a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction.
Since the site was never known to the Spanish during their conquest, it is highly significant as a relatively intact cultural site. Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.[2] In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll.
Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its three primary buildings are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows.
Moai
A moai (the rapanui moai, "sculpture ") is a monolithic stone statue is found only on Easter Island or Rapa Nui, belonging to the V Region of Valparaiso in Chile. The moai are the main attraction of Easter Island, whose inhabitants live off tourism and fishing.
The more than 600 known Moais carved by the ancient Rapa Nui are distributed throughout the island. Most of them were carved in tuff of Rano Raraku, where 397 Moais are more in different stages of completion. Everything indicates that the quarry was abandoned suddenly, leaving the medium statues carved into the rock. Virtually all were subsequently terminated Moais staggered by the native islanders in the period following the cessation of the construction.
The more than 600 known Moais carved by the ancient Rapa Nui are distributed throughout the island. Most of them were carved in tuff of Rano Raraku, where 397 Moais are more in different stages of completion. Everything indicates that the quarry was abandoned suddenly, leaving the medium statues carved into the rock. Virtually all were subsequently terminated Moais staggered by the native islanders in the period following the cessation of the construction.
Christ the Redeemer
The statue of Christ the Redeemer is located 709 meters above sea level and is located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, on top of Corcovado Mountain. Has an overall height of 38 m, but 8 m belong to the pedestal. It was inaugurated on October 12, 1931, after approximately five years of work. According to the Guinness Record book, Christ the Redeemer, is the largest representation of Jesus Christ by man in the world.
Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza (Mayan: (Chichen) Mouth of the well; of (Itza) water witches) is a major archaeological sites in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, located in the municipality of Tinum in the state of Yucatan. Important and renowned relic of the Mayan civilization, the main buildings remain there under the age of the decline of Mayan culture known to archaeologists as the post-classic period.
The massive architecture has survived to this day and today is emblematic of the site, has a clear Toltec influence. The god who presides over the site, according to Mayan mythology, is Kukulcan, Maya representation of Quetzalcoatl, god of the cemetery taken from the Toltec culture. That said, consider that Chichen Itza was a city or a ceremonial center, which went through several construction periods and influences of the different peoples that occupied it and led it since its inception.
The archaeological zone of Chichén Itzá was inscribed on the List of World Heritage by UNESCO in 1988. On July 7, 2007, was recognized as one of the New Wonders of the World, a private initiative without the support of Unesco, but with the recognition of millions of voters around the world.
The massive architecture has survived to this day and today is emblematic of the site, has a clear Toltec influence. The god who presides over the site, according to Mayan mythology, is Kukulcan, Maya representation of Quetzalcoatl, god of the cemetery taken from the Toltec culture. That said, consider that Chichen Itza was a city or a ceremonial center, which went through several construction periods and influences of the different peoples that occupied it and led it since its inception.
The archaeological zone of Chichén Itzá was inscribed on the List of World Heritage by UNESCO in 1988. On July 7, 2007, was recognized as one of the New Wonders of the World, a private initiative without the support of Unesco, but with the recognition of millions of voters around the world.
