“Cueva de las Manos” (The Cave of Hands), refuge to ancient hunters and gatherers since the last part of the eighth millennium BC, is located in a Pinturas River ravine and was declared by UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site in December 1999.  The town of Perito Moreno (considered the archeological capital of Santa Cruz) is responsible for managing the area within the Reserve.

It’s interesting to note that the area declared to be a World Heritage Site, which establishes a system of protection, has been restricted to “Cueva de las Manos,” excluding “Cueva del Arroyo Feo” (Cave of the Ugly Stream) and “Alero Charcamata,” as well as a large number of small natural shelters containing paintings: Aleros del Buho, La Vizcaina, Don Alfonso, Los Almendra, La Madrugada, El Cármen, among others.

It’s there that the mining companies are setting up, threatening to silence the voices of our ancestors.

It’s precisely in “Cueva del Arroyo Feo” where Patagonia Gold (United Kingdom) is running its “Lomada de Leiva” STRIP MINING project.  Strip mining is a type of mining that that is done on the surface, rather than underground.

The process for extracting minerals from these sites is alarming because it involves using cyanide, sulfuric acid, and mercury.  There are also large amounts of earth removed with heavy machinery and explosives.  This is disturbing because it creates huge craters, up to 100 hectares in size and between 200 and 800 meters deep.

Strip mining and underground mining is also about to begin at the “Cerro Negro” site (Gold Corp, Canada), located about 3km from the Pinturas River.  The company operates a cyaniding plant that uses water and sodium cyanide, then deposits the byproducts in open trenches.  These toxic elements are exposed to winds (which are very powerful in the region), creating the possibility that the toxins will be spread over a wide area, and cause an even greater environmental impact within the zone.

One of the main concerns for the population is the use of groundwater.  Mining companies use 84,460,000 liters of high quality groundwater per day.  The long term consequences will be felt over time.  Perito Moreno neighbors are already dealing with the low pressures and sporadic shortages of water to supply the entire population.

The social impact is also a problem: companies hire many people to build the plant, but once completed, it lets them go and hires specialists, most of who come from areas with more mining experience.  This means that the mining activity does not bring very much economic benefit to the local area; instead the benefits are limited to a few families.

Our cultural and historical heritage is being directly threatened.  The archeological areas coincide with those given up for mining operations and we are seeing the effects on the Tourist Project in the northwest district, because no one is able to access the archeological sites, such as “Cueva del Arroyo Feo,” which represents the provincial heritage.  The mining companies have padlocked the neighboring roads.

“Fuerza Independiente Nativa” (Independent Native Power) requests that the entire population demand that our officials protect our health and cultural heritage.  It’s an absurd and senseless boast to organize a party called “Cuevas de las Manos,” when because of erroneous policies, this area and those under its influence, are immediately at risk of disappearing forever.