Cave of Swallows

Top of Golondrinas as viewed from the low side, during a descent made in 1979.

The Cave of Swallows, also called the Cave of the Swallows (Spanish: Sótano de las Golondrinas),
is an open air pit cave in the Municipality of Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The elliptical
mouth, on a slope of karst, is 49 by 62 m wide and is undercut around all of its perimeter,
widening to a room approximately 303 by 135 meters (994 by 442 ft) wide. The floor of the cave is
a 333-meter (1092 ft) freefall drop from the lowest side of the opening, with a 370-meter
(1,214 ft) drop from the highest side, making it the largest known cave shaft in the world, the
second deepest pit in Mexico and perhaps the 11th deepest in the world.

History

The cave has been known to the local Huastec people since ancient times. The first documented
descent was on 27 December 1966 by T. R. Evans, Charles Borland and Randy Sterns.

Geology

The cave is formed in the El Abra and Tamabra formations, limestones of Middle Cretaceous
age. The cave's speleogenesis is still not fully known but is a result of solutional enlargement along
a vertical fracture, with subsequent vadose enlargement.

Extreme sports tourism

Cross section of the cave

The cave is a popular vertical caving destination. Cavers anchor their ropes on the low side, where
bolts have been installed in the rock and the area is clear of obstructions. Rappelling to the floor
can take up to an hour. Climbing back out may take from forty minutes to more than two hours. A
person without a parachute would take almost ten seconds to freefall from the mouth to the floor,
hence the pit is also popular with extreme sports enthusiasts for BASE jumping. An average-
sized hot air balloon has been navigated through the 160-foot (49 m) wide opening and landed on
the floor below. BASE jumpers can get out in about 10 minutes using a winch. (video: Journey to
the Earth's Core-History Channel).