Did you know? Frescoes created by artist Daniel Vázquez Díaz in 1930, depict the whole story from Columbus' arrival at the monastery to his arrival in the Americas. He was accompanied by 90 crew stationed across 3 vessels, and it took 61 days for them to cross the Atlantic Ocean to reach the Bahamas. Despite thinking he was arriving in India, we can probably relate with Sat Nav systems being known to let us down!
9. Christ the Redeemer
We're steering things back onto the mainstream with iconic sites, and the colossal statue of Christ which towers over Rio de Janeiro, is as tall with its facts, as it is in physical height!
As the largest art deco style sculpture in the world, coming in at 98 feet tall, its creation was originally the brainchild of the priest Pedro Maria Boss in 1850, to honour Isabel, princess regent of Brazil and the daughter of Emperor Pedro II. However it wasn't until 1921 that the idea gained ground under the Roman Catholic Church, who wanted the vision of Christ to be visible all over Rio.
Designed by Brazilian engineer, Heitor da Silva Costa, his original sketches featured the religious icon holding the world in one hand and a cross in the other.
Materials and workers for the build had to be transported by cog railway, so mammoth was the project. Workers would scale long wooden poles which acted as scaffolding to put all the materials together. No doubt a daunting task at hand but it symbolised the intense religious faith of those working on it.
Since its completion in 1931, it's been subject to various repairs and renovations, including a deep clean in 1980 - we're not sure we would want that job! Explore for yourself as part of the Chile, Argentina and Brazil Tour.