Mante - Touristic Sites
La Aguja
The Aguja is a natural water resort facility that was created with construction of a dam on the Mante River. It has basic installations for a picnic day like cook out facilities and tables under the shadow of the trees as well as children's playgrounds.
How to get there: On the loop highway, 200 meters with the junction to Highway 85 to Cd. Valles you will find the best access road to La Aguja. Walking 4 Km on an unpaved but in good conditions road. It is recommended to take your bathing suit and your own food and drinks.
El Nacimiento
Following the same trail, 4 Km ahead, you will get to El Nacimiento. This is an ideal place to practice swimming and enjoys mother's nature. This site has parking facilities, concrete trails, tables and other facilities as well as a small restaurant served by the locals. It also has rental of swimming gear, row boats and other equipment that will allow you to get inside the cave that is formed at the footsteps of the mountain range where the water surges from deep the Sierra de Cucharas.
The cave of El Nacimiento is one of the deepest and majestic sunken caves of the world. It is worldwide known thanks to Shek Exley who broke two world records of depth diving; the first one when it descent to a depth of 238 meters in 1988 and the second one to 265 meters in 1989 on both occasions without reaching the bottom.
El Castillo de Nueva Polonia
The Nueva Polonia Castle was the main building of the Hacienda El Naranjo, situated in the town of Nueva Polonia, 50 Km from El Abra town. His daughter, Doña Joaquina, who married Don Gerardo Meade and forming one of the most distinguished families in Mexico at the time, inherited the Hacienda, property of Don Ángel Sáenz Trápaga. In 1925, Mr. and Mrs. Meade built the main structure of the Hacienda to spend long seasons with their family and guest like Charles Lindbergh.
On the western part of the hacienda, 30 kilometers away, there was a railroad station Velasco that travel from Cd. Mante to San Luis Potosí and in Tantoyuquita, a nearby town there was a customs office where merchandise was sent to San Luis Potosí.
In the middle of the XX Century the land of the Hacienda was invaded by campesinos ("peasants") and only the main building was left to the Meade family as property. Today it is abandoned, but it is still a magnificent work of architecture that reflects the grandeur of the era that was so important in the history of Mexico.
La Gruta de Quintero
This is a cavity on the Sierra de Cucharas mountain range situated only 5.5 Km from the exit to Cd. Mante on Highway 85 to Cd. Valles, where you will find a small signal on the right hand side that will guide you to this place. After crossing the town of Quintero, 2 Km. on a paved street, you will find another signal directing you to the cave, that will take you through an unpaved road (in somewhat regular conditions) for one and a half kilometers.
The access to the cave is through stone steps where you must climb to the entrance that has a depth of several meters. We recommend you not to get inside the cave if you have no experience on these matters.
La Cueva de El Abra
This is another cave on the Sierra de Cucharas mountain range that is accessible to visitors and is located 4 Km ahead from the access to Gruta de Quintero using the same Highway 85 to Cd. Valles. Here, you can admire the underground that is located at the bottom of the cave that has a main funnel of 116 meters and was partially descent by espeologist from Texas in 1956.
El Cañón de la Servilleta
This is extraordinary natural scenery that we highly recommend you to visit. The Canyon is the path for the Boquillas or Comandante River through the Cucharas Mountain Range. It has an extension of 2.5 Km reaching its walls in some sites heights of 120 meters. Most of the year, the river can be crossed on foot, there are small ponds between the stones and there is arustic elevated transportation at one of its sides to cross it during rainy season and enjoy the view. The combination of the large rocks, the exuberant trees and the sand where there are some small shells to be found, make this place an extraordinary site to spend a peaceful day in contact with nature and do some swimming.
You can also practice exploration finding some caves at the northeastern side of the canyon. Walking up river, on the right riverside there are small promontories or Cúes as well as some moluscan fossils and petrified plants. Some from sea origin all of which transform this site Located 150 km from the sea in a window to our geological past.
How to get there: Three kilometers from El Limón town on Highway 85 to Cd. Victoria, make a left turno on the Highway to Ocampo, after 13 Km and before a step curve that starts the climbing to the Sierra (mountains) there is a detour to the right signaling the Canón de la Servilleta". After 3 Km on a good conditions unpaved road you will get to Ejido El Riachuelo where there is another signal. From there to the Canyon there are about 500 meters on unpaved road.
Las Playitas de El Limón
Only 12 Km from Cd. Mante to the north on Highway 85 to Cd. Victoria you will find the town of El Limón. When you reach this town you will see a small signal directing you to the entrance of the Playitas de El Limón, a natural paradise situated on the Sabinas River and the Frío River whose waters have little depth and you can swim and enjoy mother's nature under the shadow of beautiful trees.
