Snakes&Roses
Two taitas, two spaces
The Shamans
Taita Miguel Mavisoy and Taita Leonardo Jacanamejoy are healers of the Kamëntšá people. Each holds ceremony in his own space. Min facilitates your whole journey, matching you with the space that fits you, guiding you through the retreat, and offering integration support after you return home.
Choosing your taita
Two shamans, one lineage, two different spaces.
Every retreat is facilitated by Min, who looks after the whole journey so you never have to think about logistics. You sit in ceremony with one or both taitas from the Kamëntšá lineage, each in his own space on the land in Mocoa. Min is there at every step of the way as a guardian of the space, guiding your experience and translating.
The maloca
Taita Miguel Mavisoy
Warm, gentle and quick to laugh. His ceremonies are revelatory and eventful, held in the maloca with a larger circle around you.
Meet Taita Miguel →
The finca
Taita Leonardo Jacanamejoy
Calm, precise and steady. His ceremonies are peaceful and profound, held at his finca deeper in the jungle with just the taita, you, and Min.
Meet Taita Leonardo →What is a taita?
In Putumayo, the healers who work with yagé are often called taitas, a term of respect meaning “father.” Their knowledge is learned over years through teachers, family, plants, ceremonies, and community life. Taita Miguel and Taita Leonardo bring their own experience and relationships to that work.
Taita Miguel Mavisoy
A father of the medicine.
In the Colombian Amazon, healers are called Taita, father. It is a title that is earned over many years: by learning the plants, by dieting, by sitting in many ceremonies, and by being recognised by elders and community.
Taita Miguel Mavisoy is Kamëntšá, one of the indigenous peoples of Putumayo. His people come from the Sibundoy Valley, high in the Andes, and have carried yagé down the mountains and through the generations for as long as anyone can remember.
What you notice first about Miguel is how gentle he is. He laughs a lot, he hugs trees, and he speaks about the plants the way other people speak about old friends.
A living lineage
Medicine that runs in the family.
Miguel did not learn yagé from a book or a weekend course. He was born into it. His father, Taita Guillermo Mavisoy, is a taita, and his mother, Mama Concha, is a respected healer. The family describes this knowledge as passed on for twelve generations, from parents to children, song by song and plant by plant.
Today Miguel works together with his family and his apprentices. In ceremony several people care for the space together.
His space
The maloca, a house for ceremony.
Taita Miguel holds his ceremonies in the maloca, the ceremonial house on his family's land. It is a space for gathering. The circle is larger, and things move.
Taita Leonardo Jacanamejoy
Quiet strength, clear messages.
Taita Leonardo, or Taita Leo, is a lineage holder of the Kamëntšá people. Like Taita Miguel, he carries the yagé tradition of his family and his community, and he holds it with great care.
What you notice first about Leo is the calm he brings with him. His work is precise and strong, and underneath it there is a deep, steady presence.
He follows his intuition and lets his heart guide the flow of each ceremony he holds.
His space
A finca deeper in the jungle.
Taita Leo has his own finca, a little deeper in the jungle in Mocoa. The energy here is different. It is peaceful and profound, perfect for going even deeper inward.
Ceremonies at the finca are just Taita Leo, you, and Min, with room for stillness and nothing to perform.
The medicine
Yagé crudo, made fresh for you.
Taita Miguel and Taita Leonardo work with yagé crudo, prepared from freshly harvested vine. Each taita prepares it for the people who arrive, whether in the maloca or at the finca. Nothing comes out of a bottle from a shelf.
You are invited to be part of it: walk into the forest to find the vine, help pound it, sit by the fire while it is prepared, and learn about the different kinds of yagé and what they are used for.
Music & culture
Ceremonies accompanied by live music.
Yagé ceremonies in Putumayo are known for their music. Through the night the taita sings, and musicians play guitar, harmonica, flutes, rattles and drums. Some of the most beautiful music you will ever hear is made around this fire, often with musicians who grew up in these ceremonies.
Learning from the family
Stories, songs and the wisdom of the plants.
Between ceremonies there is time to listen. The family tells the stories that their grandparents told them: how yagé came to the people, what the plants teach, how the Kamëntšá see the world. You learn the names of the plants on your walks, what they are good for, and how the family uses them in daily life.
Next step
Getting to know the people behind the ceremonies matters.
Read more about the retreat formats, or begin with a conversation about which setting may be right for you.
Group Retreat → Private Retreat →