El Castillo, Chichen Itza, Yucatán, Mexico.

Built by the Maya people, Chichen

Itza once was a major city of the pre-Columbian era. El Castillo or the Temple
of Kukulcan is the most famous and recognizable landmark of the entire
archaeological site. It is estimated that the pyramid was built between the
9th and 12th centuries. It attracts thousands of tourists every year.

El Castillo, a mesmerizing Mesoamerican step-pyramid, is at the heart of Chichen

Itza. Chichen Itza is a pre-Columbian city constructed by the Maya people in
Yucatán, Mexico, between the 9th and 12th centuries.

With a towering height of 98 feet and a name that translates to “the castle,” it's no
wonder that El Castillo is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
What makes the monument even more enchanting, however, is revealed only twice a
year: at about 3 pm on the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sunlight hits the
pyramid's main stairway in such a way that the shadows form a snake-like form. This
slithering shadow “creeps downwards until it joins the huge serpent's head carved in
stone at the bottom of the stairway” (Chichen Itza).

Stonehenge, England

Constructed from 3000 through 1500 BCE, Stonehenge is one of the world's most
famous pre-historic monuments. Located in Wiltshire, England, the unique structure is
made up of two types of stone—the bigger being sarsen and the smaller being a
bluestone—and arranged concentrically.

Luxor Temple, Egypt

Often referred to as “the world's greatest open-air museum,” Luxor, Egypt, has no
shortage of ancient ruins to explore. After all, this city is home to Luxor Temple, a
famous complex constructed way back in 1400 BCE.

Formally the site of the Thebes, the “City of a Hundred Gates,” Luxor is steeped in
Egyptian history. “It was from here that Thutmose III planned his campaigns,
Akhenaten first contemplated the nature of god, and Rameses II set out his ambitious
building program” (Discovering Egypt). Luxor Temple epitomizes the city's pharaoh-
ly focus, as it was the only temple in Thebes dedicated not to gods, but to the
kingship.
Pompeii, Italy
The ancient city of Pompeii is one of Italy's most interesting destinations. Once a
vibrant Roman center, Pompeii was destroyed by a devastating eruption from the
nearby Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.

Machu Picchu, Peru

While the cloud of smoke from this cataclysmic event buried everything in its path—
including, unfortunately, 2,000 people— it also ironically preserved the city. Hidden
by a blanket of ash and lapilli (fragments of pumice stone), Pompeii remained
forgotten for centuries. In 1748, however, it was properly excavated, revealing a
wealth of intact art, artifacts, and buildings—all of which can still be seen today.

Located high in the clouds above Peru's Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu is one of South
America's most spectacular sites. This Inca citadel was built in the 15th century and
was likely intended as an estate for an emperor.

Machu Picchu comprises three main focal points: Intihuatana, a ritual stone related to
the Inca's astronomical clock; the Temple of the Sun, a sacred site for worship; and
the Room of the Three Windows, which offers stunning views of the sunrise. As these
structures—as well as much of Machu Picchu—have been meticulously restored,
visitors are able to get a glimpse of what it would have looked like hundreds of years
ago

Petra, Jordan
Petra, a city built in the 4th century BCE, is unlike any other site on earth. Carved into
the region's red sandstone cliffs, Petra's jaw-dropping structures beautifully blur the
line between the natural and constructed world.

Because of the pink hue of its rock-cut architecture, Petra is often referred to as Rose
City—a romantic nickname rooted in a 19th-century poem by John William Burgon:
“The hues of youth upon a brow of woe, which Man deemed old two thousand years
ago, match me such marvel save in Eastern clime, a rose-red city half as old as time.”