Pinturas River
Pinturas River as it flows through the Pinturas River Canyon.
Pinturas River is located in Santa Cruz Province
Pinturas River
Location of mouth
Pinturas River is located in Argentina
Pinturas River
Pinturas River (Argentina)
EtymologyFrom the numerous rock art sites found along the course of the river
Native nameRío Pinturas (Spanish)
Location
CountryArgentina
ProvinceSanta Cruz
Physical characteristics
Mouth 
 • coordinates
46°34′59″S 70°18′00″W / 46.583°S 70.300°W / -46.583; -70.300
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • rightEcker River

The Pinturas River (Río Pinturas, Spanish for Painted River or River of Paintings) is a river in Patagonia, Argentina, running through the Pinturas River Canyon, near the Cueva de las Manos archeological site. The river's main tributary is the Ecker River. The Pinturas River itself is a tributary of the Deseado River.

Location

The Pinturas River is located in Patagonia, Argentina.[1]

Course

The river has its source in the Andes Mountains,[2] in the small massif of Mount Zeballos (2,743 m), located south of Lake Buenos Aires. It initially runs eastward for a hundred kilometers, bending at first in the north-south direction before turning into the south-north direction.[2] Then it continues north towards the Deseado River through the Pinturas River Canyon, where Cueva de las Manos is located.[1] The river and the canyon are 150 km long. The Pinturas then flows into the Deseado River, completing its journey across the canyon.[2]

The main tributary of the Pinturas River is the Ecker River.[2] The Pinturas River runs through the Pinturas River canyon at a height of 240m above sea level.[3]

Prehistoric sites

The Pinturas River is located near many archaeological and rock art sites, which is why its Spanish name translates literally to mean the Painted River[4][5] or River of Paintings. Most well-known among these sites is Cueva de las Manos, a world heritage site which is located along the upper banks of the river.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Borrero, Luis Alberto; McEwan, Colin (1997). McEwan, Colin; Borrero, Luis Alberto; Prieto, Alfredo (eds.). Patagonia: natural history, prehistory, and ethnography at the uttermost end of the earth. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 38. doi:10.1515/9781400864768. ISBN 978-1-4008-6476-8. OCLC 889252383 – via ProQuest Ebook Central.
  2. ^ a b c d e Aschero, Carlos A.; Schneier, Patricia (2021-04-13). "The Black Series in the Hunting Scenes of Cueva De Las Manos, Río Pinturas, Patagonia, Argentina". In Davidson, Iain; Nowell, April (eds.). Making Scenes: Global Perspectives on Scenes in Rock Art. Berghahn Books. p. 310. ISBN 978-1-78920-921-1.
  3. ^ Wallace, Chris (February 2017). Williams, Jo (ed.). Footprint Argentina (8th ed.). Footprint. p. 524. ISBN 9781911082095.
  4. ^ Steele, James; Uomini, Natalie (2005). "Humans, tools and handedness" (PDF). In Roux, Valentine; Bril, Blandine (eds.). Stone knapping: the necessary conditions for a uniquely hominin behaviour. Cambridge, UK: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge. p. 234. ISBN 1-902937-34-1. OCLC 64118071.
  5. ^ Lundborg, Göran (2014). The Hand and the Brain (1 ed.). London: Springer London. p. 43. doi:10.1007/978-1-4471-5334-4. ISBN 978-1-4471-5333-7. S2CID 146392116.
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