The splendor of this 17th century golden chapel has led it to be called the "eighth wonder of the world."

This beautifully deceptive waterfall is something far different from what it appears to be.

Perhaps the most unique of any Frank Gehry design for one simple reason: Gehry himself actually lives here.

A graceful natural rock formation stands astride the point where the Gulf of California meets the Pacific Ocean.

This historic cemetery built for victims of the epidemics that swept Guadalajara is shrouded in macabre tales.

One of the oldest hospitals in the Americas is now decorated in hallucinatory murals.

This feature of the city's aqueduct has achieved numismatic fame thanks to its appearance on Mexican banknotes.

Climb through the life of a Mexican hero as you ascend a 130-foot statue.

One of Mexico's rare urban natural parks features waterfalls and a working fish farm.

The liveliest ghost town in the state.

The tragedy of the Japanese internment camps is remembered here by a stark "Soul Consoling Tower."

This crumbling Death Valley mining complex was known for its use of giant, 20-mule team wagons.

The lowest point in North America is home to an undrinkable pool surrounded by fields of geometric salt flats.

This giant temperature attraction created some giant electric bills.

The key to turning shifting dunes into the green oasis of Golden Gate Park.

This California tree is the single source of the state's entire orange industry.

Mexican food and folk art.

These structures were inspired by both Native American shelters as well as, strangely, an ice cream shop.

The only museum and archive west of the Mississippi that is dedicated to the study of Abraham Lincoln.

The Route 66 institution that inspired Taco Bell also served as an important headquarters for Mexican-American social movements.

This house turned museum chronicles the life and work of Richard Neutra.

The outside of this theater is decorated with a Diego Rivera mural that explores the history of Mexico.

This colossal ancient sculpture of the monstrous Aztec rain god has a literally stormy history.

This incredible college library is a visual masterpiece of mosaic art. It also looks kind of like a giant boombox.