The name of the cave Cueva de las Manos means "Cave of the Hands" in Spanish, is located in the heart of Patagonia, in a small province of Argentina, Santa Cruz.
In 1964, Carlos Gradin, a professor of archaeology, conducted research here and made Cueva de las Manos famous around the world. The scientist feared that the cave would not would not retain its original appearance after the throngs of tourists flooded in. But in 1999, UNESCO added Cueva de las Manos to its list of World Heritage Sites.
In general, rock art can be found in many places in Santa Cruz, but in the Cave of the Hands it is the most interesting. Among the many drawings you can find depictions of animals, human figures, hunting scenes and most amazingly more than 800 life-sized human handprints. Scientists have concluded that most of the prints belong to female hands. They link this phenomenon to the fact to the fact that in ancient times, women were the ones who made pottery, and they were the first to mix paint and draw.
All these paintings and frescoes are considered to be the oldest traces of human presence in South America. Separately it is worth saying about colour. Ancient artists used natural mineral pigments to produce shades of black, white, yellow, purple and red.
The cave itself is hidden from human eyes in the deep canyon of the Pintura River. For Tourists are guided tours accompanied by local guides. There is Information Centre and a cafe.
