zoom_in Click to enlarge

Nazca Hands (Las Manos)

▲ ▼

description Nazca Hands (Las Manos) Overview

The Nazca Hands, or Las Manos, is an anthropomorphic geoglyph in the Nazca region of southern Peru. The figure is made from exposed lighter ground and cleared or rearranged surface stones, like other Nazca geoglyphs, and is recognizable by its hand-like forms and separated digits. It belongs to the wider Nazca Lines landscape, a pre-Columbian archaeological area created and used by societies on Peru’s arid south coast.

help Nazca Hands (Las Manos) FAQ

What does the Nazca Hands geoglyph show?

Las Manos is commonly described as two human hands, with one showing four fingers and the other showing five. It is one of the more directly human-looking figures associated with the Nazca geoglyph landscape.

When were the Nazca Hands created?

The Hands are generally placed within the wider Nazca period, roughly from 200 BCE to 600 CE. The exact date of this individual figure is not certain. [NASA](https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/nazca-lines-peru-5848/)

How did the Nazca culture make Las Manos?

Nazca builders cleared the dark surface stones and topsoil to expose the lighter ground underneath. The desert's very low rainfall helped preserve the contrast between the cleared lines and the surrounding surface. [NASA](https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/nazca-lines-peru-5848/)

Are the Nazca Hands the same as the hand paintings at Cueva de las Manos?

No. Las Manos is a Nazca geoglyph in the desert of Peru, while Cueva de las Manos is a rock-art site in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. The two sites are separated by country, medium, and cultural context.

swap_horiz

Looking for Nazca Hands (Las Manos) alternatives? Compare top competitors ranked & scored

arrow_forward