South America

Places in this region

Brain Museum

Tucked behind the Institute of Neurological Science down a decrepit street resides the largest display of human brains in Latin America.

The Brain Museum in Lima is not for those with a weak stomach. Run by Neuropathologist Diana Rivas, this one-of-a-kind collection contains over 3,000 examples of damaged brains and fetuses,... »

Medical Museums, Unique Collections | Edited by Rachel

Chucuito Temple of Fertility

Ancient Peruvian fertility temple or modern money-making hoax? Either way these monoliths still look like penises

Chucuito is one of the few ancient sites in the world that is likely to elicit a few giggles. In many ways, you're supposed to giggle when you walk through the walled-off complex covered in row... »

Hoaxes and Pseudoscience, Rites and Rituals | Edited by serflac and atimian

New Jerusalem Theater

World's largest open air theater spans 24 acres and hosts a massive recreation of the Passion of Christ

Spanning 24 acres, New Jerusalem Theater seems more like a medieval castle than a performance space. Yet each year, this massive open-air theater puts its gigantic space to use for a roving... »

Cultures and Civilizations , Wondrous Performances | Edited by atimian

Chimborazo

Massive volcano in the Andes is the farthest point from earth's center

At 29,029 feet above sea level, Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. But despite Everest's massive peak, Chimborazo in the Ecuadorean Andes is the farthest point from the center of... »

Natural Wonders, Geological Oddities | Edited by atimian

Devil's Island

A hellish, 19th century French penal colony in French Guiana

Islands just off the shore of French Guiana look a lot like paradise. Lush forests flower in the humidity and the blue waters off the coast ring the land like a pure, refreshing belt of salty... »

Anomalous Islands, Crime and Punishment | Edited by serflac, atimian and others

Museo El Fósil

A museum built around a bus-sized fossil on the side of the highway.

When dinosaurs walked - or in this case, swam - the earth, they reigned supreme. Now long dead, their remains lay hidden beneath layers of earth, waiting to be discovered. This one was lucky... »

Fascinating Fauna | Edited by TravelingHat, Dylan and others

Villa de Epecuén

The Argentinean lake that swallowed an entire village in 1985

In 1985, the salt Lake Epecuén broke the banks and never stopped, completely swallowing the tourist town of Villa de Epecuén. Although not completely destroyed, the great flood left behind only a... »

Watery Wonders, Ghost Towns | Edited by serflac and atimian

Cahuachi

Nazca pilgrimage site covering 384 acres

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Lost Tribes, Curious Places of Worship | Edited by serflac and atimian

Pedro Martín Ureta's Forest Guitar

Guitar made of trees, dedicated to a man's lost love

Breaking up the flat agricultural areas of Argentina's Pampas is a guitar formed entirely out of trees. Stretching for 2/3 of a mile, the multi-colored instrument was created by one Argentine... »

Extraordinary Flora, Outsider Art | Edited by serflac, atimian and others

Valle de las Animas

Bolivia's needle-like rock formations

The Valle de las Animas, or Valley of the Souls is a densely packed forest of rock formations, each stabbing toward the sky in great clusters. Formed out of mudrock and erosion over hundreds of... »

Geological Oddities | Edited by serflac and atimian