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O G C To u r s & Tr a v e l s Published by the OGC Association. 1177 ABC Avenue 25th Floor New York, NY 10063 For this edition Editor: Micheal Thompson Art Director: Emily Jones Proofreader: Donna Holmes Copyright 2003-2008. Global Company, Inc.

ISBN xxx-xxx-xxx-x All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronics, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publishers.
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*Christ the Redeemer - Brazil 2 Contents The Perfect Getaway!

*Christ the Redeemer - Brazil *Machu Picchu - Peru *Chichen Itza - Mexico *Colosseum - Rome *Giza Pyramid - Egypt *Taj Mahal - India *Petra- Jordan
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*Christ the Redeemer - Brazil

*Christ the Redeemer - Brazil
hrist the Redeemer (Portuguese: O Cristo Redentor), is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This statue of Jesus stands some 38 meters tall, and weighs 700 short tons (635 tonnes). It is located atop Corcovadomountain, which is 700 metres (2,300 ft) above sea level. It was designed by Heitor da Silva Costa of Brazil and created by French sculptor Paul Landowski of Polish origin. Christ the Redeemer was inaugurated on October 12, 1931 after five years of hard work. It is made up of reinforced concrete and soapstone. The idea for erecting a large statue atop Corcovado was first suggested in themid-1850s, when Catholic priest Pedro Maria Boss requested financing from Princess Isabel to build a large religious monument. Princess Isabel did not think much of the idea and it was completely dismissed in 1889, when Brazil became a republic with laws mandating the separation of church and state. The second proposal for a landmark statue on the mountain was made in 1921 by the Catholic Circle of Rio. Anevent called Semana do Monumento (“Monument Week”) was organized to attract donations and collect signatures to support the building of the statue. The donations came mostly from Brazilian Catholics. Of the various designs considered for the “Statue of the Christ” the statue of Christ the Redeemer with open arms was chosen.

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*Machu Picchu - Peru

*Machu Picchu - Peru

M

achuPicchu, Old Peak, is a pre-Colombian Inca site. It is often referred to as ‘The Lost City of the Incas’, and is the most familiar symbol of the Inca Empire. The site is located about 2,350 meters above sea level, and is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urumbamba Valley in Peru.

Machu Picchu’s primary buildings are the ‘Intihuatana’, the ‘Temple of the Sun’, and the ‘Room of the ThreeWindows’. The city is saddled between two mountains, with a view down two valleys and an impassable mountain behind it. The whole area is composed of 140 structures or features including temples, sanctuaries, parks, and residences that include houses with thatched roofs.

Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Since it was notplundered by the Spanish when they conquered the Incas, it is especially important as a cultural site and is considered a sacred place. One of the earliest theories about the purpose of the citadel is that it was the traditional birthplace of the Incan “Virgins of the Suns”. Research conducted by scholars, such as John Rowe and Richard Burger, has convinced most archaeologists that Machu Picchu was anestate of the Inca emperor, Pachacuti. In addition, 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 that would have been important to the Incas. Another theory maintains that Machu Picchu was an Inca “llaqta”, a settlement built to...