The ''Mano del Desierto'' is a large-scale sculpture in Chile, about 60 km to the south and east of the city of Antofagasta, on the Panamerican Highway. The nearest point of reference is the "Ciudad Empresarial La Negra" (La Negra Business City). It lies between the 1309 and 1310 km marker points on the highway. The piece references the human rights violations perpetrated by the Pinochet regime.

Description

The sculpture was constructed by the Chilean sculptor at an altitude of 1,100 meters above sea and level. Its exaggerated size is said to emphasize human vulnerability and helplessness. The work has a base of

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and

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, and stands tall. Funded by Corporación Pro Antofagasta, a local booster organization, the sculpture was inaugurated on 28 March 1992. It has since become a point of interest for tourists traveling Route 5, which forms part of the

Pan-American Highway The Pan-American Highway is a vast network of roads that stretches about 30,000 kilometers (about 19,000 miles) from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in the northernmost part of North America to Ushuaia, Argentina, at the southern tip of South America. I ...

. It is an easy victim of

graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

and is therefore cleaned occasionally. To get to the sculpture from Antofagasta, take Route 28 going East until the road joins Route 5 at La Negra (industrial complex) (distance from Route 1 in Antofagasta to the junction at La Negra approximately ). Take Route 5 going South for another , where a dirt road turns right (West) towards the sculpture. The sculpture is from the main road. Clear signposts are placed on the road, although the sculpture can already be seen from quite a distance away.

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takes viewers right up to the sculpture, with variou
views
from different directions.

References

External links

The Hand of the Desert – Chile’s massive sculpture
– Artwork description and photographs {{in lang, en
Corporación Pro Antofagasta

The giant hand buried in the Atacama Desert

Keep Up the High Five: La ''Mano Del Desierto'' in ''El Observatodo''

''Hand In The Desert'', Atlas Obscura
Outdoor sculptures in Chile 1992 sculptures Buildings and structures in Antofagasta Region Concrete sculptures in Chile Tourist attractions in Antofagasta Region Colossal statues

Description

See also

References

External links