The world's tallest aluminum statue is also the world's tallest image of a winged Virgin Mary.

Building this tragically pointless stone barrier cost the lives of the prisoners made to build it.

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.

Since the 1700s, this old barrel has acted as a post box that relies on the kindness of travelers.

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

In this pristine Ecuadorian hippie town, residents remain active well into their eighties and nineties.

The remains of an ancient settlement in one of the oldest archeological sites in South America.

These mammoth-yet-narrow crevasses in the Earth are perfect for taking an otherworldly swim.

A turquoise lake within a volcanic crater.

This 16th-century monastery was founded to cloister the daughters of wealthy local families.

This space-age looking obelisk rises over a city in the rainforest, meant to resemble the local castaña tree.

The outside of this exposed Moche pyramid is covered with striking colorful adobe friezes.

A Christian monastery stands on what was once a holy Incan temple.

This is why we can't have nice things on the Incan Trail.

These ruined Incan mausoleum towers still bear carvings of sacred animals on their blocks.

It took 82 years and four different plaques to finally get the story right.

Mystic Incan rock piles three miles above sea level.

Built on the remains of one the Incas’ most important gathering spots, this square keeps the spirit of a fallen empire alive.

On this tiny spot of land in the middle of Lake Titicaca the only ones who do the knitting are the men.

An Inca spa, military outpost or maybe… both?

Situated on a sacred Inca site, this 16th-century cathedral took nearly 100 years to build.

This geometric feat is a testament to the Incas' mesmerizing architectural abilities.

The shockingly unspoiled Peruvian tomb of the Lord of Sipan was once guarded by a footless warrior.