The Hand in the Sand
On a beach in Uruguay, five giant fingers rise from the sand, as if someone were buried underneath, reaching for the sky.
What was reported
On Brava beach in Punta del Este, Uruguay's best-known resort, five enormous concrete fingers emerge from the sand, as though a giant hand were trying to break free from beneath the beach.
The sculpture, often called La Mano or 'The Hand', was made in 1982 by the Chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal. It's sometimes called the Monument to the Drowned, and is said to warn swimmers about the strong currents of that beach.
Explanations offered
It's a work of art, made in a few days as part of an outdoor sculpture event. Its eerie, half-buried look has made it one of South America's most photographed landmarks. Irarrázabal made similar hands in other countries.
- When
- Made in 1982
- Where
- Punta del Este, Maldonado, Uruguay
- Witnesses
- Beachgoers
- Status
- A sculpture
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.