The human hands signify everything from connection to power, which is why its no surprise to see artists around the world take inspiration from such a universally recognizable form. But, very few people know that the surreal landscape of northern Chile’s the Atacama Desert, also the driest non-polar desert on earth is home to an artistic sculpture of a human hand. The hand which has become increasingly popular among tourists draws its inspiration from rather dark themes- human suffering and emptiness of the desert. And here is all you need to know about it!
The Hand in the Desert
Image Source: Charismatic Planet 
Image Source: El Pais
More than 25 years ago, the city of Antofagasta, the isolated centre of Chile’s copper mining industry, asked a Santiago sculptor Mario Irarrázabal to construct something notable to fill in the emptiness of the Atacama Desert. In March 1992, the city unveiled 36-foot-tall hand protruding out of the sand with four outstretched fingers and a thumb, made of concrete over an iron frame. This sculpture is known as ‘Mano Del Desierto’ and it stands 3608 feet above the sea level.
What does the hand represent
There are multiple interpretations as to what the hand is supposed to symbolise. Some say the hand in the desert is meant to be a reminder that humans should be humbled by nature and the elements. Others are convinced it is a display of humans rising against the odds. It is also known for its portrayal of human vulnerability and helplessness which we’re sure those who run out of petrol in this vast empty space understand particularly well since the nearest city of Antofagasta lies some 74 km away.
There’s a right hand as well
You may think the hand is a solitary figure in the desert, but actually it’s part of a pair. This left hand in Chile is actually a sequel to a hand the artist had sculpted a decade earlier in Uruguay. 1,200 miles east of Antofagasta in the Atlantic coastal resort of Punta del Este, you’ll find four concrete fingers and a thumb rising from the sand of the beach. Irarrázabal called this sculpture ‘Man Emerging to Life’, but locals call it ‘Monument to the Drowned’ or just ‘The Hand’. Between the two hands, it’s as if a subterranean giant is holding all of South America in its stone grip!
Featured Image Source: CNN.com
