Historical site in Río Pinturas Canyon, Santa Cruz, Patagonia, Argentina
Cueva de las Manos
UNESCO World Heritage cave paintings featuring hundreds of outlined hands in reds, ochres, and blacks dating back 9,000 years. The site also contains animal and hunting scenes representing one of South America's finest examples of ancient rock art.
Cueva de las Manos — Cave of the Hands — is one of the most important prehistoric rock art sites in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1999. Located deep within the Río Pinturas Canyon in the Santa Cruz province of Argentine Patagonia, the cave shelters an extraordinary gallery of stencilled handprints and painted scenes created by successive hunter-gatherer cultures spanning roughly 9,000 years, from approximately 9,000 BC to AD 700.
The paintings are concentrated along a 160-metre stretch of the canyon wall, protected by a natural rock overhang. The most striking elements are the hundreds of negative hand stencils — created by placing the hand against the rock and blowing pigment around it — rendered in shades of red, ochre, white, black, and violet. The pigments were derived from iron oxides, manganese, and kaolin mixed with animal fats and plant binders, a combination that has proved remarkably durable over millennia. Alongside the hand stencils appear depictions of guanacos, rheas, and hunting scenes with figures wielding boleadoras, providing a vivid record of Patagonian life in the deep past.
The earliest layers of painting are attributed to the Toldense culture, which inhabited the region during the final millennia of the last Ice Age. Successive cultures — including the Casapedrense — added to the gallery over thousands of years, making the site a rare palimpsest of prehistoric artistic expression. Scientific analysis using uranium-thorium dating confirmed the oldest sections date to around 9,300 years before the present.
The canyon setting enhances the experience considerably: the Río Pinturas carves through Patagonian steppe and basalt cliffs, and the approach involves a rewarding walk through dramatic geological formations. Access is strictly managed to protect the paintings; all visitors must enter with an authorised guide, and touching the rock surface is prohibited. The nearest town offering tour departures is Perito Moreno (not to be confused with the glacier of the same name), approximately 100 kilometres away.
Highlights
- Hundreds of 9,000-year-old stencilled hand paintings in red, ochre, black, and violet pigments
- UNESCO World Heritage Site preserving hunter-gatherer art spanning 9,700 years of occupation
- Dramatic Río Pinturas Canyon setting in Argentine Patagonia with basalt cliff formations
- Hunting scenes depicting guanacos and figures wielding boleadoras — among the oldest in South America
Tips
- Tours depart from Perito Moreno town (Santa Cruz province), roughly 100 km away — this is not the same town as the Perito Moreno Glacier, which is in a different part of Patagonia.
- Allow a full day for the round trip including travel and guided time at the site; half-day tours exist but are rushed.
- Visit between October and April when Patagonian weather is more predictable; winter conditions can make the canyon road impassable.
- Photography of the paintings is permitted without flash; bring a telephoto lens to photograph upper sections of the gallery in detail.
- Wear sturdy footwear — the canyon path is uneven and can be muddy after rain.
FAQ
Can visitors reach Cueva de las Manos independently without a tour?
Independent access is not permitted to protect the site. All visits must be made with an authorised guide departing from Perito Moreno town or from one of the estancias near the canyon. Several operators offer full-day excursions.
How old are the oldest paintings at Cueva de las Manos?
The oldest dated sections are approximately 9,300 years old, created by the Toldense hunter-gatherer culture during the final phase of the last Ice Age. The site continued to be used by successive cultures until around AD 700.
Is the site suitable for children?
Yes, children generally find the vivid hand stencils and animal scenes engaging. The canyon walk is moderately active — roughly 1 to 2 kilometres on uneven terrain — and is manageable for older children who are comfortable walking on rocky paths.