Sotana de las Golandrinas, or Cave of Swallows, is well known to BASE (Building Antenna Span Earth) jumpers. Since its discovery sometime in the mid-60's, this Mexican pit cave has been the focus of activity and exploration.
The Mexican cave is considered by some to be the eighth wonder of the world. It lies in a remote region of San Luis Potosi state in the east central rain forest region of Mexico. The Hausteco Indian pueblo of Aquismon is nearby. The closest telephone is one hour away and the nearest hospital is in Ciudad Valles two hours away. To get to the mouth of the pit cave, you must travel on very rough roads and then climb a rocky path up a mountain to the cave mouth.
Cave
This pit cave is second in depth among Mexico's caves only to El Soltano de El Barro in Queretaro state, which is about 1345 feet. It is the eleventh deepest pit cave in the world, 1220 feet deep on the less-visited side and 1094 feet on the shorter side. The cave mouth measures 160 by 205 feet. The vertical cone-shaped shaft ends in a cave floor which is 440 by 990 feet.
The Cave of Swallows was formed when the underground water table wore away a large limestone section, eventually dissolving the limestone until the developing chamber broke the surface. The cave is also situated on an old fault area.
The cave gets its name from the twice daily departure and return of the birds from the cave mouth. Deep in the cave, white-collared swifts, or vencejos, nest in wall niches. Further toward the surface, green conures, or periquillo quila, make their nests. With the first rays of dawn, these birds begin a spiraling ascent to the cave mouth. Once there, they fly eastward to seek food. At dusk, the birds return, circling around the cave mouth. Small groups of swifts fly down into the cave and dive until they reach their nests. The conures, a type of bright green parrot, are always in pairs when they leave or return. According to a February 1976 bird count, this cave may have had over 25,000 swifts nesting in it.
Other types of wildlife which have been reported in the cave are various species of bats, a cat-sized animal which may have been a tayra, salamanders up to ten inches in length, and whip scorpions. Not much natural light gets to the cave floor but some moss grows sparsely on the rocks.
This cave had been a favorite BASE jumping site from the 70's until it was officially closed to jumping in 2002. When BASE jumping was still allowed, an enthusiast could expect a jump to last about twelve seconds from his initial leap to reaching the floor of the shaft. BASE jumping organizers are attempting to work with the local, state, and federal governments to once again be allowed to enjoy the cave. For now it is illegal to jump with a parachute or use a motorized winch near Cave of Swallows.
Cave of Swallows - What is It? Where is It? Cave
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