You’ve heard of the 7 Wonders of the World. This list encompasses incredible locations that any traveler would have on their bucket list. As a Spanish teacher and lover of Hispanic culture, I love exploring the marvelous sites of the Hispanic world. I also love teaching about these places. So, I made my own take on the 7 Wonders of the World to introduce my students to the 7 Wonders of the Hispanic World! Keep reading to learn about my list, how to explore these cultural landmarks from your classroom, and which activities are best!
What are the 7 Wonders of the Hispanic World?
Although there is no “official” list, I have created a list of what I think the 7 Wonders of the Hispanic World could be. Believe me, it is extremely difficult to narrow down all of the ruins, attractions, museums, parks, etc. of the Spanish-speaking world. You may have your own suggestions, and I’d love to hear them. Please comment below with additional ideas!
I’ve incorporated a variety of places with historic and cultural significance. And I’ve tried to touch on the different corners of the Spanish-speaking world.
Here is the list that I have come up with:
- La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain
- La Alhambra in Granada, Spain
- Chichén Itzá in Yucatan, Mexico
- El Teleférico Mukumbarí in Merida, Venezuela
- Machu Picchu in Cusco, Peru
- Las cataratas Iguazú on the border of Brazil and Argentina
- Los Moái (Isla de Pascua) on Easter Island, Chile
Explore the 7 Wonders of the Hispanic World
Since we cannot take our students to tour these seven wonders, the best way to explore them is to take virtual visits. My two suggestions are virtual field trips and authentic websites.
Google Earth Tours
You can design your own virtual field trips using Google Earth in just a few simple steps. Here are some step-by-step instructions. With Google Earth, you create the itinerary, and students simply click through the tour. But, it goes much deeper than that. They can jump into the map and explore like they are physically there! They can spin around in a 360 view to see everything around them, then walk through the wonders, choosing which way they want to go and explore. It is the closest they will get to actually being there! If you want a virtual field trip for the 7 wonders that is already made, you can purchase mine here in Spanish or English. My students love this trip!
Authentic Websites
Many of these wonders have their own websites that offer an authentic experience. Some provide a virtual tour so you do not need to go to Google Earth (but I still recommend you do!) These sites make for a great webquest or online scavenger hunt style activity. You can ask students questions about admission costs, hours, history, exhibitions, fast facts, etc. Depending on their proficiency level, you may want to have them browse the web page in the target language!
I’ll highlight the best parts of each site below!
Machu Picchu
This site has tons of historical information and maps. Since I went to Peru in 2017, they have really improved this site, and I wish I had access to some of these maps when I was walking through the ruins! Students can walk through the steps of purchasing a ticket and notice the price difference for a tourist, a Peruvian resident, and a local from Cusco. Another bonus on this site is the virtual tour of the Machu Picchu Museum, which I did not have time to visit, but can now see the inside from my couch!
La Sagrada Familia
This website offers live streams of different events, a historical timeline, information about Gaudi, and a gorgeous virtual tour!
Chichen Itza
Students can look at the many types of tours offered at these ruins and see the difference in offerings and price on this website. There is a lot of historical information about the Maya civilization and the creation of the ruins.
La Alhambra
The virtual tour is not as interactive as some of the others. It is picture and text based, but detailed in showing you each of the different sections and subsections of La Alhambra. There is also plenty of information about tickets, guided tours, and Granada.
Iguazu Falls
Experience the different paths by reading descriptions and seeing images here. Check out ticket prices, news, and FAQs.
Moai (Rapa Nui)
There doesn’t seem to be an official site, but this is from the Chilean Travel website. You can find basic information and pictures.
Merida Cable Car
There is no website, but here is a blog post with images and details.
My Favorite Activities for the 7 Wonders
Readings and Questions
The perfect way to start your unit. These comprehensible readings come in two differentiated versions for novice and intermediate with comprehension questions. Students will get basic historical and cultural information about each of the ruins. The readings come in English or Spanish.
Virtual Field Trip
As I said earlier, a virtual field trip is the best way to explore these wonders. Take my Google Earth virtual field trip with your students to all 7 wonders. They will be guided through the map, read comprehensible descriptions, take pictures, and answer questions! I have English and Spanish versions!
Which Wonder Should I Travel To? Personality Quiz
Have your students take a 10-question personality quiz (in Spanish or English) to determine which of the 7 Wonders of the Hispanic World they should visit. Based on their answers to questions about their personality and travel habits, students will receive 1 of 7 answers. Then, they will read a short description of why their personality matches this wonder. Students can be grouped together to discuss their results and create a presentation to share with the class. Learn more about how I use these personality quizzes in my classroom here.
Flip Book
For an interactive, hands-on lesson, have students create this flip book. Simply print (double sided) and staple together the three pages to form a six-page mini booklet about the 7 wonders.
Research Posters
If students want to dive a bit deeper into one of the wonders, assign them a research project. You can let them choose which wonder to explore. They will fill out the research poster. You can hang them on the wall, they can present in small or large groups, etc.
Escape Room
This is the culmination of my unit! And how fun is this escape room?! Take everything they learned and challenge them with an escape room! Can they solve all five puzzles about the 7 wonders? Again, English or Spanish versions available!
The Bundle of ALL my 7 Wonders Resources
And if you’re all in and want to teach a complete unit on the 7 wonders. Grab my bundle of 7 wonders resources here. Everything I mentioned above is included! Here is the Spanish bundle.
I would love to know which of these 7 wonders of the Hispanic World is your favorite? Have you traveled to any? Taught about any or all? And if you could add more to the list, what wonders would you add? Share in the comments below.
