The Pinturas River (, Spanish for Painted River or River of Paintings) is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, 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

Course

The river has its source in the

Andes Mountains The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...

, 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. Then it continues north towards the Deseado River through the Pinturas River Canyon, where Cueva de las Manos is located. The river and the canyon are 150 km long. The Pinturas then flows into the Deseado River, completing its journey across the canyon. The main tributary of the Pinturas River is the Ecker River. The Pinturas River runs through the Pinturas River canyon at a height of 240m above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

Prehistoric sites

The Pinturas River is located near many archaeological and

rock art In archaeology, rock arts are human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type al ...

sites, which is why its Spanish name translates literally to mean the Painted River or River of Paintings. Most well known among these sites is Cueva de las Manos, a

world heritage site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

which is located along the upper banks of the river.

References

Rivers of Argentina Rivers of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina {{Argentina-river-stub