Elders from Colombia
Mamo Lorenzo Izquierdo
He is a recognized spiritual authority (Mamu) of the Pueblo Arhuaco, known for decades of leadership in ceremonies of harmonization, healing and pagamentos dedicated to caring for the Earth and strengthening ancestral medicine, governance and thought. He moves between prayer and action, bringing traditional ritual practice into conversation with intercultural spaces at national and international levels.
His formation is deeply traditional: spiritual training and ancestral knowledge passed down by elders and spiritual authorities within his community, with customary recognition from the elders who mentored him.
Selected milestones.
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1996 — In a Council meeting in San José (Cesar) he was commissioned by Arhuaco, Kogui and Wiwa elders to carry out urgent healing for Mother Earth — a turning point in his public work.
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2009 — Joined the continental gathering “Las Raíces de la Tierra” in Chile, helping to seed plans that later brought the meeting to Colombia.
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2010 — Led a multi-nation pilgrimage to the high peaks Chiles and Cumbal by invitation of Taita Ramiro Estacio, coordinating pagamentos and cleansings according to each people’s wisdom.
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2012 — Guided the continental gathering and the National Council of Spiritual Authorities in Granada (Cundinamarca), where five axes for collective life were affirmed: health, education, economy, governance and houses of thought.
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2016–2025 — Continual participation in the Kiva gatherings and other international meetings, sharing and learning with communities across Colombia, Mexico, India, the Netherlands, Germany and the United States, leading ceremonies of return and spiritual healing in diverse places.
Affiliation:
He holds a customary leadership role as president of CAAENOCAM, continuing to serve as a bridge between ancestral councils, local communities and international spaces.
Concise, human, and rooted — this bio highlights a life of service: ritual skill, intercultural dialogue, and steady devotion to the care of the Earth and ancestral wisdom.
Oscar Giovanny Queta
“El Oso Kofán”
I am a son of the community and territory of Ukumary Khanke.
Son of María Manecita Queta, and nephew of Taita Querubín Queta, with whom I first began walking this sacred path of yagé medicine and the protection of our ancestral tradition.
For 20 years, I have been walking, traveling, and sharing a small measure of sweetness in the lives of many people who, at different moments, have taken my hand with respect and trust.
I began taking medicine in childhood, as my mother would take us to drink it.
However, it was at the age of 14 that I consciously chose to learn this path. I began taking yagesito with my uncle, Taita Querubín, who became my principal teacher on this journey. By his side, I learned how to drink, how to cook the yagé, and how to listen to and understand the spirit of the medicine.
I remained in this learning process for 11 years, also walking alongside other elders and taitas, including my uncle Taita Diomedes Díaz and my cousin Universario Queta. At the age of 25, my uncle Querubín granted me the opportunity—and the responsibility—to go out into the world to offer, guide, and hold my own ceremonial circles across many territories. With the blessing of God and, above all, with the permission and guidance of our elders, I began this path first in my homeland, Colombia, and later in Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic, the United States, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Romania, Italy, Germany, and France.
In each place, the path has grown alongside groups of people who approach with respect, awareness, and care.
Currently, I hold ceremonial camps and retreats in Orito, Putumayo, twice a year, in January and June, carrying this work forward with responsibility, respect, and the care that our elders have taught us—always honoring the word, the medicine, and the lineage from which we come.
Nubia Esperanza Rodríguez García
Spiritual Leader, Visionary, and Guardian of Ancestral Midwifery
Nubia Esperanza Rodríguez is a prominent Colombian-Mexican spiritual guide and a central figure in the global preservation of indigenous traditions. For over 30 years, she has co-led the international organization Raíces de la Tierra (Roots of the Earth) alongside her husband, Heriberto Villaseñor, dedicated to fostering planetary healing and ancestral unity.
A respected elder in the Kiva Ceremony tradition, Nubia is a Sun Dancer and Temazcalera who has been instrumental in expanding these sacred rites across five continents. Her work is deeply rooted in the "Sacred Feminine," where she facilitates circles for women to awaken their inner divinity and strengthen communal bonds.
Beyond her ceremonial leadership, Nubia is a renowned autonomous traditional midwife and perinatal educator. As the founder and director of Lunai, a center for ancestral midwifery, she is a passionate advocate for "dignified birth" and conscious motherhood, blending ancient wisdom with contemporary care.
In March 2026, she will serve as a key guide for the Kiva Peregrina in Chile, marking the culmination of a global spiritual cycle that has traveled the world to unite the wisdom of diverse indigenous peoples.