This Mexican ceremony asking the gods to end a drought has been a ritual passed down for centuries. Watch in awe as five climbers ascend a 10-story pole and then, tied just by their waists, spin in mid-air down to the ground.

More then 600 years in Papantla, Mexico, dancers have taken to the skies to perform the acrobatic spectacle, the Danza de los Voladores (Dance of the Flyers). Four flyers and one guide dressed in vibrant colors ascend a 100 feet off the ground, anchored only by a single rope tied to their legs. There, they begin the ritual, flying through the air to ask the sun deity for rain and blessings.

This is a very old custom of Mesoamerican origin expresses respect for nature and the spiritual universe. During the ceremony, four Voladores de Papantla (flyers) climb a pole while one more flyer remains sitting on the edge of the platform, while playing with a flute and drum melodies in honor of the sun, the four winds and the cardinal points. After this act of invocation, the dancers launch themselves from the platform to which they are tied by long ropes, imitating the flight of birds and drop down to the ground.

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