Legend tells how a Spanish soldier disappeared from this isolated sentry box without a trace.

This bleach-white graveyard overlooking the ocean is accessed through a tunnel.

This chapel on a cliff is renowned for its healing powers and was founded on the site of a supposed divine intervention.

The world's brightest bioluminescent bay.

After Christopher Columbus died, his son built a fancy house to rule from.

Built in 1512, the oldest cathedral in the Americas.

The oldest colonial fortress in the Americas was once the home and later prison of Christopher Columbus.

Largest pre-Lent festival in the Dominican Republic.

The first hospital in the New World.

Ecuador’s historic seat of government has been quietly looted in recent decades, and no one knows how or by whom.

A short volcanic hill in Quito doubles as a stellar observation point of an iconic statue.

This overlooked, beautiful convent hides an original Hieronymus Bosch among its many treasures.

This 12-inch-tall wooden sculpture of a winged Virgin Mary has inspired much devotion and countless replicas.

Quito's historic, main square dates back to the 16th century.

Legend says if this neo-Gothic basilica is ever officially completed, the world will come to an end.

It took 160 years to complete the most ornate church in Ecuador.

Home of the "true" equator.

An elaborate shrine dedicated to the four corners of the world unfortunately misses its mark.

A turquoise lake within a volcanic crater.

A swing to dangle you off the very edge.

Nestled between a college and a golf course, the garden is home to more than 2,500 rhododendrons.

These machines have been collecting dust for decades.

This sandstone mansion was the home of two of Oregon's most important pioneers.

Tens of thousands of tiny birds swarm into one school chimney every fall.