Critique Ancient Rock Art
Argentina's Top 20 Adventures
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| Argentine art show in Chubut province |
On the Rio de las Pinturas in Chubut province, the Cueva de las Manos (Cave of Hands) is one of the largest and best-preserved rock art sites in southern South America. Nearly 10,000 years old, sheltered beneath volcanic overhangs, the polychrome Patagonian paintings are virtual murals covering several hundred yards of rocky recesses with the hand imprints that gave them their name, but there are also stylized guanacos (wild relatives of the llama) and more abstract figures. Along graveled Ruta 40, the loneliest highway in Argentina, the surrounding countryside is the arid Patagonian steppe that left such a lasting impression on Darwin. The last part into the canyon you must hike, but to get to the canyon it's necessary to hire a car or take a tour.
