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Considered as one the deepest abysses in the world, el Sótano de las Golondrinas ("the Cellar of the Swallows") in the state of San Luis Potosí, is a true paradise for all the speleologists and lovers of adventure sports.

In Aquismón, a town located 55 km to the south of Ciudad Valles and in the very heart of the Huasteca Potosina, there is one of the most surprising abysses in the world: Sótano de las Golondrinas, which reaches the depth of 512 m and has a diameter of 60m in its widest part.

The calcareous ground has made possible for this enormous well to find its form over the millenniums. It was discovered by a group of speleologists from Texas in 1967 but it was not until in 1974 that it was really explored for the first time. The abyss was baptized "Golondrinas" ("Swallows") by peasants who were the first to witness a rather curious phenomenon that takes place every day inside the chasm. At dawn thousands of swallows set out from the bottom of the abyss and take over the sky of the Huasteca. At dusk the same thing occurs again as all those birds return to their dark home: for them yet another day has come to its end.

These days Sótano de las Golondrinas is constantly visited by both speleologists and climbers. Its beauty and uniqueness make it one of the most important protected areas in Mexico.