Buenos Aires, Argentina May 2008

Rio de Janeiro

Christ the Redeemer statue is 39.6 meters (130 feet tall) and weighs 700 tons. It is located at the peak of the 700 m (2,296 ft) Corcovado Mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park. The inner structure is made out of reinforced concrete and the outer layers are soapstone. The construction took nine years, from 1922 to 1931. On Sunday, February 10, 2008, the statue was struck by lightning during a violent electrical storm Rio but the statue remained unharmed. On July 7, 2007, Christ the Redeemer was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

City of God video

La Santisima de Trinidad de Parana Mission Encarnación, Paraguay

Jesuit Missions

Two priests were assigned to each reducción to bring the Roman Catholic religion to the indigenous Guaraní tribes, give them a basic education and teach them other skills in carpentry and art. As the missions grew, the Spanish and Portuguese began to fear that the Jesuits were becoming too powerful and independent. In 1756 they attacked the missions and left them in ruins.

Cusco, Peru

Quito, Ecuador

On the road to Otavalo

Cuicocha Volcanic Lake

View of Quito
The city's elevation is, about 2,850 meters (about 9,350 feet), making Quito the second highest capital city in the world.

San Francisco's Church

Presidential Palace

Catedral Primada

Catedral Primada and Presidential Palace

La Basilica