Not far from the city of Perito Moreno, in the province of Santa Cruz, a unique cave with the poetic name of Cueva de las Manos was discovered many years ago. Locals call it the "cave of a million hands." It is quite large and is about 25 meters long, but its height does not exceed 10 meters. It was here that rock paintings were discovered, dating back to 13-9 thousand years BC.
On the wall of this cave there is a huge canvas with imprints of human palms. Scientists could not understand for a long time how such traces appeared on the wall, but then they suggested that ancient people made a special paint, which they took in their mouths, and then with the help of a tube they sprayed on the walls where their palms were placed. The hand was placed against the wall, and this is how the original ornament of the cave was created.
It is worth noting that in addition to hands, there are images of people, ancient animals and even small sketches of hunting mammoths and contemplating the stars. I would especially like to note the picture of a cat and an unusual guanaco.
Every tourist can look at the amazing ornament, but only with a guide. This mysterious monument is protected by UNESCO, because it remains the most mysterious and little-studied. Despite such measures to protect the cave, a huge number of people come to see it. Here you can take gorgeous photos and learn some facts about the lives of our ancestors.
The landmark of Argentina was discovered in 1941 by an unknown archaeologist at the time, who was lucky enough to accidentally stumble upon a cultural monument.
All the prints are different sizes and colors. This allows us to assume that even then people used natural dyes. There are shades of black, red, purple, white and even yellow.
It is believed that these prints belong to teenagers who, upon entering adulthood, left them on the wall during the appropriate ritual. However, this is not confirmed by science, because at that time even adult men had the appearance and body structure of teenagers. Therefore, no one knows the true reason for the appearance of such an ornament in the cave. But this does not make it any less popular among travelers.
