factor of four since its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1999. As of 2020, Cueva de las Manos was visited by around 8,000 people per year. This has brought new challenges for preserving the site. Currently, the most significant threat is graffiti, followed by other forms of vandalism, such as visitors taking pieces of painted rock from the walls and touching the paintings. In response, the site has been closed off with chain-link fencing and a boardwalk has been installed to control the movements of visitors. To access the site, visitors must be accompanied by a tour guide. The site also has sanctioned walking trails, a guide lodge, railings, and a parking lot. A team of professionals from the INAPL and the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) supervised the construction of these facilities. An awareness program has been undertaken to educate tourists and visitors to the site, including local guides, and to facilitate greater involvement by local communities. The rock art of the site is being recorded and documented in 360° video to make a virtual reality experience involving the site. Despite these measures, the local provincial government, the Argentinian government, and the UNESCO have been criticized for not doing enough to protect the site. The provincial government in particular has been criticized for falling short of the recommendations of the INAPL, including the need for additional staffing and a permanent on-site archaeologist. See also Argentine painting List of Stone Age art Los Toldos (Santa Cruz) — nearby archaeological site and namesake of the Toldense culture group Piedra Museo — another archaeological site of the Toldense culture group Pre-Columbian art Prehistoric art Notes References Bibliography Further reading External links Cueva de las Manos Website (in Spanish) Cueva de las Manos, cave 3D model (Skechfab) Cueva de las Manos, Perito Moreno, images Cave of Hands, Perito Moreno, images Cueva de las Manos, images Nomination file 936 10th-millennium BC establishments 1941 archaeological discoveries Archaeological sites in Argentina World Heritage Sites in Argentina Protected areas of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina Caves of Argentina Former populated places in Argentina Rock art in South America Indigenous painting of the Americas Pre-Columbian art Archaic period in the Americas Indigenous culture of the Southern Cone Pre-Clovis archaeological sites in the Americas National Historic Monuments of Argentina Tourist attractions in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina