Statue of Christ the Redeemer: towering over Brazil's capital of hedonism, this monument provides inspiration to believers, atheists, and artists alike.

• Author: Holston, Mark

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Ask Cariocas what single image best captures the essence of their complex city, and most residents of Rio de Janeiro will point to the majestic Statue of Christ the Redeemer that crowns Corcovado, the knife-edged mountain strategically located in the very center of this metropolis of twelve million souls. Since its inauguration 77 years ago, the visually stunning combination of the monument and the mountain has become a veritable postcard for this exotic Brazilian port. Corcovado has been celebrated in song, film, and prose, used to adorn the covers of countless magazines, books, and albums, and replicated in innumerable paintings and objets d'art. It is virtually omnipresent, capable of being viewed by the vast majority of the city's residents at any hour of the day or night. And while its presence is commanding, it is also fraught with contradictions--a religious symbol in a city renowned for its hedonistic proclivities, and a spiritual image that radiates fatherly love over an urban landscape ravaged by daily outbreaks of blood-spilling violence and endemic poverty. But one thing is certain: millions of Cariocas, whether rich or poor, pious or agnostic, have a deeply passionate and personal relationship with the statue and its verdant surroundings.

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When the results were announced of an Internet-based campaign in 2007 to identify the "New Seven Wonders of the World," the choice of Rio's landmark statue came as a surprise to many. While the other finalists--such as India's Taj Mahal, the Palace Tombs of Petra in Jordan, and Peru's Machu Picchu [Americas, April 2008]--were hundreds, even thousands, of years old, the Brazilian entry was the most contemporary by far, the only winner conceptualized and constructed in the twentieth century. And when compared to the massive scale of the Great Wall of China, the Roman Colosseum, and Mexico's Pyramid of Kukulcan at Chichen Itza [Americas, February 2008]--the other winners of the international competition--it is also by far the most diminutive. Further, it is distinguished from the others by its overtly religious character and, because of its location in the heart of a major city, its ability to interact in a variety of ways with millions of people on a daily basis.

The not-so-secret appeal of Corcovado, however, is that it is the sum of several disparate parts--the singular combination of the paternal quality of the Art Deco-influenced monument itself, the dramatic natural environment that it dominates, and the sensuous contours of bays, beaches, and mountain-clinging neighborhoods that flow from its base. It represents a classic example of an old dictum that has long underscored the formula for success in the retail business world: location, location, location. Religious statuary capping prominent knolls can be found in dozens of cities of the Americas, but none come close to combining the magical elements of spirituality and physical beauty that Corcovado boasts in abundance.

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Given the steepness of the terrain, it is not surprising that it took hundreds of years after Portuguese colonizers founded Rio de Janeiro in 1565 before any organized attempts were made to conquer, let alone develop, the imposing and nearly vertical granite peak locals had dubbed Corcovado, the Portuguese word for hunchback. It wasn't until 1824 that the first official expedition to the summit was undertaken, led by none other than Emperor Dom Pedro I. Soon after, a primitive road was constructed through the dense rainforest cover, and the mountain became more easily accessible to human visitation.

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Among the first of the countless notables who made the trek to the summit was Charles Darwin, who marveled at the view of Rio and the Tijuca Forest during an 1832 visit to Brazil aboard his ship the Beagle. Six decades later, Dom Pedro II granted a concession to...