The capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, has acquired a new attraction. El Monumento a Las cataratas del Iguazú brings the majesty of Iguazu Falls to the centre of the city and highlights its status as one of the New7Wonders of Nature. For the visitor, the monument offers a sense of being in the middle of the falls, which are located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentinian province of Misiones. Generating 100,000 litres of water an hour, six pumps replicate the atmosphere of the Devil’s Throat (Garganta del Diablo in Spanish or Garganta do Diabo in Portuguese), the most dramatic chasm of the falls.
“In Buenos Aires New7Wonders has gotten in its third life,” said Bernard Weber, Founder President of New7Wonders, commenting at the inauguration of the monument on Wednesday evening. “The real Iguazu Falls were chosen as one of the New7Wonders of Nature in a global election, and a direct result of that cyberspace campaign was the physical creation of this fantastic monument-fountain. Thus, Iguazu Falls have become a reality again in a completely new form.”
El Monumento a Las cataratas del Iguazú is located on the corner of Avenida 9 de Julio and Avenida de Mayo, at the Plaza Provincia de Misiones, near La Casa Rosada, the executive mansion of the President of Argentina. Its central location is indicative of the purpose of the project, said Mauricio Macri, Head of Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, who praised the hospitality and generosity of Misiones and its people.
Among the dignitaries attending the inauguration of the monument were Maurice Closs, Governor of Misiones; Bernard Weber, Founder-President of New Seven Wonders; Carlos Enrique Meyer, national Minister of Tourism; Mauricio Macri, Head of Government of Buenos Aires; Diego Santilli, national Minister of Environment and Public Space; Jean Paul de la Fuente, Director of New7Wonders; Horacio Blodek, Misiones Minister of Tourism, and Sergio Dobrusin, Misiones Undersecretary of Strategic Development.
In alphabetical order, the New7Wonders of Nature are: Amazon, Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Island, Komodo, Puerto Princesa Underground River, Table Mountain.