Admirers of Mexico, stand and be counted.

Your vote just might put the ancient ruins of Chichen Itza on the map as one of the new seven wonders of the world.

The New Seven Wonders of the World campaign has been gaining world interest for the past few years. Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber had a vision to revise the old list of seven wonders because only one of the original seven wonders still stands, the Pyramids at Giza. Weber felt it was time to bring the world together and re-introduce the ideas of common pride and global cultural heritage. The New7Wonders campaign has the goal of documenting, maintaining, restoring and reconstructing world heritage under the motto, "Our Heritage is Our Future."

Your opportunity to be included in this decision is now. Everyone who casts a vote between now and July 6, 2007, has the opportunity to be a part of history in the making. By logging on to www.n7w.com , you can place your vote for what you believe are the best choices for the new seven wonders of the world. The choices include a list of some of the most phenomenal places on earth.

What was once a list of 77, has now been whittled down to 21 finalists by a panel of experts chaired by the former Unesco chief Federico Mayor. This list includes the Acropolis, Alhambra, Angkor Wat Temple, Chichen Itza, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, the Colosseum, Easter Island Statues, Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, Hagia Sophia, Kyomizu Temple in Japan, Kremlin, Machuu Picchu, Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, Petra, the Pyramids of Giza, the Statue of Liberty, Stonehenge, Sydney Opera House, Taj Mahal and Timbuktu.

If you have had the pleasure and the privilege of visiting Chichen Itza, I am sure it will get your vote as one of the new wonders. Chichen Itza is a phenomenal ancient Mayan city located just two hours from Cancun, Mexico. It is one of the finest representations of Mayan art, architecture and ingenuity in Mesoamerica. Chichen Itza was once a thriving Puuc city which reached a peak about 900 A.D. The city has all of the key elements of the typical Mayan center and much, much more.

The main temple, El Castillo is 75 feet tall. It has four staircases, one on each side of the pyramid. Each staircase has 91 steps. If you add this equation together and add the platform at the top of the pyramid, you come up with 365 steps, which scientists have concluded is symbolism of a 365-day calendar. Chichen Itza is also home to the Temple of the Warriors and a very large cenote where the Maya once held human sacrifices. The Caracol, a snail-shaped ruin that once served as an astronomical observatory, is another interesting feature of the city. The magnificent carved jade jaguar, 1,000 stone columns, the Ball Court, Iglesia (church) and nunnery are all fabulous representations of the work of the Maya.

Chichen Itza was also one of the most important centers in the Mayan world for the worship of Kukulkan (the Yucatecan Maya translation of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent). Evidence of Kukulkan reveals itself on the spring and fall equinoxes when the shadow cast by the edge of the pyramid creates a serpent pattern that appears to run down the staircase of the main pyramid in the plaza.

All of these aspects and more make Chichen Itza a sheer wonder to behold. You can help make history today by casting a vote for the ancient city of Chichen Itza to be given the honor of being one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The winners will be announced on July 7, 2007, in Lisbon, Portugal.

Log on the www.n7w.com to learn more about the finalists and to cast your vote.

Those without Internet service can vote by calling: 011-423-663-900299 (International phone rates apply.)

Karla Barnes of Burley and her husband are frequent visitors to Mexico.