of less than per year, while Gladys I. Galende and Rocío Vega state that it averages per year. The topography of the canyon blocks the strong westward winds that are common in the region, making winters less severe. The average temperature is , with extreme highs of around and extreme lows of around . The coldest month is July, and the warmest month is February, which average and , respectively. Access In ancient times, people accessed the Pinturas Canyon, and by extension the cave area, through ravines in the east and west, typically from higher elevations around above sea level. Currently, there are three gravel roads that lead to the site: a route from the south, starting near Bajo Caracoles, and two more further north, a route from Ruta 40 (Route 40) and a route that ends with a foot trail. History When the site was occupied, the Pinturas and Deseado Rivers drained into the Atlantic Ocean and provided water for herds of guanacos, making the area attractive to Paleoindians. As the glacial ice fields melted, the Baker River captured the drainage of the eastward flowing rivers. The resulting reduction in water levels of the Pinturas and Deseado rivers led to a progressive abandonment of the Cueva de las Manos site. Projectile points, a bola stone fragment, side-scrapers, and fire pits have been found alongside the remains of guanaco, puma, fox, birds, and other small animals. Guanacos were the natives' primary food source; hunting methods included bolas, ambushes, and game drives, in which they would drive guanacos into ravines and other confined areas to better collectively hunt them. This technique is recorded in the art of the cave, and shows how the topography of the area influenced the art and how it was created. Dart and spear throwers are also depicted, although there is little archaeological evidence of these types of weapons being used in Patagonia. The Pre-Columbian economy of Patagonia depended on hunting-gathering. Archaeologist Francisco Mena states: "[in the] Middle to Late Holocene Adaptations in Patagonia ... neither agriculture nor fully fledged pastoralism ever emerged." Argentine surveyor and archaeologist Carlos J. Gradin remarks in his writings that all the rock art in the area shows the hunter-gatherer lifestyle of the artists who made it. The presence of obsidian near the cave—which is not natural to the region—implies a broad-ranging network of trade between peoples of the cave area and