LA MANO

La Mano (the Hand) or El Manotazo del ahogado (the Hand of the drowned) emerges from the sand at the level of Parada 4 of the Playa Brava. This work was created in 1982 by the Chilean artist Mario Irrazábal, when he was invited by the Intendencia de Maldonado to participate in the first international meetings of modern outdoor sculptures. For a month, the esplanade was converted into an open-air museum. Today, this statue of five fingers emerging from the sand is the emblem of Punta del Este and few people leave the city without taking a picture of it.