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Cueva de las Manos
Cueva de las Manos is a cave and complex of rock art sites in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, 163 km (101 mi) south of the town of Perito Moreno. It is named for the hundreds of paintings of hands stenciled, in multiple collages, on the rock walls.
Why Cueva de las Manos stands out
Cueva de las Manos is a cave and complex of rock art sites in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, 163 km (101 mi) south of the town of Perito Moreno. It is named for the hundreds of paintings of hands stenciled, in multiple collages, on the rock walls.
The geography and story of Cueva de las Manos
The art was created in several waves between 7,300 BC and AD 700, during the Archaic period of pre-Columbian South America. The age of the paintings was calculated from the remains of bone pipes used for spraying the paint on the wall of the cave to create the artwork, radiocarbon dating of the artwork, and stratigraphic dating.
The art was created in several waves between 7,300 BC and AD 700, during the Archaic period of pre-Columbian South America. The age of the paintings was calculated from the remains of bone pipes used for spraying the paint on the wall of the cave to create the artwork, radiocarbon dating of the artwork, and stratigraphic dating.
Cueva de las Manos at a glance
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Test yourself
Which South American cave holds thousands of stenciled hand paintings dating back 9,000 years, created with bone spray pipes?
Cueva de las Manos in Argentina is famous for its hundreds of hand stencil paintings created between 7,300 BC and AD 700 using bone pipes to spray paint, a technique confirmed through radiocarbon dating.
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