Chichen Itza Listed as ‘New Wonder’

The Castle at the Mayan archaelogy park of Chichen Itza has been listed as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, after the results of a poll were announced yesterday (7/7/07) in Lisbon, Portugal.   The poll ran for two years and took votes from the public by internet and telephone.

People were invited to select seven choices from a short list of 21 potential new wonders which included the Eifel Tower in Paris and the Statue of Liberty in New York.

The Mexican Government made a bold effort to get people to vote for Chichen Itza, issuing regular press releases, sending out emails with links to the New Seven Wonders web site, and running a substantial campaign encouraging Mexicans to support their national heritage by voting for Chichen Itza.

The winners (in voting order) are: The Great Wall of China, The Andean Fortress of Machu Pichu, The Mayan Castle at Chichen Itza, The Statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro, The Desert City of Petra in Jordan, The Colosseum in Rome and India’s Taj Majal.

• See our guide to Chichen Itza (and pictures) here
• The New Seven Wonders Web Site