The giant hand
From the sand.
Marcos Escalier from Antofagasta, Chile. — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nicolas Valdes Ortega — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nicolás Valdés Ortega — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rodrigo Maluenda Romero — CC BY-SA 4.0
A giant sculpture of a human hand whose fingers rise from the sands of the Atacama Desert, about eleven metres tall, made by Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrázabal in 1992 of concrete over an iron frame, in barren land with nothing but the horizon around it. The artist meant the hand to express human vulnerability and helplessness before vast nature, so it looks like the hand of a buried giant trying to climb out of the sand. It has become one of Chile's best-known images, and travellers on the long north-south highway stop beside it. The finest times are sunset, when the desert and sky turn orange and pink, or night, when the clear Atacama sky full of stars and the Milky Way appears behind it, drawing photographers from afar. There are no services on site, so carry enough water and fuel, and watch for lorries on the highway when stopping. The northern desert sun is very strong even on hazy days, so carry water, a hat and sunscreen.
From the sand.
A coloured desert.
The Milky Way.
Pan-American Highway, about 75 km south of Antofagasta
On the Pan-American Highway about 75 km south of Antofagasta, with no services on site, so bring water and fuel.