The Chullachaqui Healing Center
Chullachaqui Healing Center is owned and operated by a family of Shipibo Maestros with a long and rich lineage in traditional practices and healing rituals with the sacred medicine plants of the Amazon jungle. As experienced and knowledgeable curanderos, they share a deep connection with the medicine plants and are dedicated to guiding others on their paths to emotional and physical well-being.
The Center’s core purpose is to provide a supportive and compassionate environment where individuals can feel safe, nurtured, and held as they focus on their healing journeys. With their deep connection to the medicine plants, the Maestros will guide and support you every step of the way using ancient healing technologies and ancestral wisdom passed down through generations.
Our facilitators are humble, caring, and trauma-aware individuals deeply committed to supporting others on their healing journeys. With specialized training in somatic, plant medicine, trauma-informed approaches, facilitators offer expertise and attentive care through one-on-one interactions at our Center. Devoted to their own continuous healing and growth with the medicine plants, they bring a genuine passion for guiding others toward transformation and well-being.
Located about an hour’s drive from the city of Iquitos, Chullachaqui Healing Center is nestled along the serene Itaya River near a small village in the heart of the Amazon jungle. In your free time, enjoy a quiet, meditative stroll through nearby yucca, pineapple, and banana gardens (chacras) cultivated by local villagers, or join a group hike to witness the power and beauty of the Itaya River. You can also simply relax in a hammock, soaking in the nurturing energy of Pachamama and the surrounding medicine plants as you connect deeper with your master plant dieta.
We invite you to reconnect with nature, tradition, and yourself at Chullachaqui Healing Center.
Meet Maestro Guillermo
Curandero, Ceremonialist, and Guardian of Shipibo Tradition
Maestro Guillermo is a respected curandero and ceremonialist from the Shipibo-Konibotradition, carrying the legacy of a long line of renowned Maestros from the Iquitos and Pucallpa regions. He was born and raised in the small village of San Francisco (Yarinacocha), just outside Pucallpa, where he continues to live with his family.
It wasn’t until his early twenties that Maestro Guillermo truly discovered his calling. When his young son fell seriously ill, and Western medicine failed to provide a solution, it was a curandero from his community who introduced him to the healing power of sacred plant medicines. It was from this profound experience that he realized he was being called by the plant spirits to work in service to others in the traditional way of his ancestors. Maestro Guillermo knew in his heart that this was his path.
Aligned with the teachings of his ancestors, Maestro Guillermo connects with the sacred plant spirits to facilitate healing on all levels – the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels –helping to bring people back into balance with themselves and with others around them. His work reflects not only his deep connection to the plant spirits but also his commitment to sharing the sacred teachings of his lineage with others, helping them rediscover their wholeness and personal power.
Meet Maestro Rolando
Curandero, Healer, and Heartfelt Guide
As an experienced Curandero, Maestro Rolando is very knowledgeable about plant medicines and their many uses as treatments for emotional, physical, and spiritual healing for others. His genuine care and concern for the healing and wellbeing of others can be seen as he tailors plant medicine treatments to meet the unique needs of each participant.
Maestro Rolando has a big heart, carries much light, and brings a playful sense of humor into his healing work, allowing others to feel relaxed and welcomed. His beautiful Icaros are infused with love and power and are grounded in his deep relationship with the plant spirits. His nurturing energy is palpable, offering not just healing, but also a sense of lightness and joy.
Always in service to others, Maestro Rolando goes out of his way to ensure that retreat participants feel supported, offering help with whatever they may need. His heart is as big as his generosity, and his commitment to the wellness of others shines through in everything he does.
Maestro Rolando is the younger brother of Maestro Guillermo. He was also born in the small village of San Francisco (Yarinacocha) outside of Pulcallpa, and now lives in Iquitos with his wife, Maestra Elisa and their three children.
Meet Maestro Elisa
Curandera, Artisan, and Compassionate Guide
Maestra Elisa grew up in Puerto Belén, a small village nestled along the Ucayali River outside of Pucallpa. She comes from a long lineage of respected Onanyas, (Shipibo-Konibo healers). Working in retreat centers since the age of 15, she was surrounded by the knowledge of plant medicine and ancestral wisdom, which has shaped her life’s work and continues to guide her path as she carries on the sacred traditions of her ancestors.
As a powerful Curandera, Maestra Elisa has the gift of detecting imbalances in energy—those hidden blockages that can hinder our healing and growth. Her deep-rooted connection to the ancestral practices of her people enables her to guide individuals through transformative healing journeys with compassion and intuition. Through her deep spiritual work and captivating Icaros, she is guided and supported by the plant spirits to help others realign and step into their true power. Her healing presence brings comfort and clarity to others.
Maestra Elisa is also a talented artisan, creating stunning embroidery for ceremonial clothing, including traditional cushmas (ceremonial tunics worn by Maestros). Each stitch she weaves is intentional and deeply rooted in her cultural tradition, infused with the same love and energy she gives to her healing practice.
Maestra Elisa lives in Iquitos with her husband, Maestro Rolando, and their three children.
She is the sister-in-law to Maestro Guillermo, and daughter-in-law to Maestro Papa Juan.
Meet Maestro Papa Juan
Curandero, Ceremonialist, and Guardian of the Plants
Maestro Juan, affectionately known as Papa Juan, holds a special place in the hearts of everyone at the Center. As the father of Rolando and Guillermo, he carries forward a rich legacy of the Shipibo-Konibo tradition of healing and ceremony work. Also born and raised just outside of Pucallpa in the small village of San Francisco, Papa Juan’s lineage is deeply rooted in a long line of Maestros who have passed down their wisdom through generations.
A quiet and gentle soul, Papa Juan embodies humility and openness. His unassuming nature allows him to remain deeply connected to the flow of life, maintaining an open heart that draws in the guidance of the natural world. This profound connection enables him to communicate with the plant spirits, receiving their messages and wisdom to guide his work. He uses this guidance to heal and clear unwanted energies that individuals may carry unknowingly.
During ceremonies, Papa Juan’s Icaros come from a deep part of his soul, channeling the wisdom and power of the jungle. These Icaros are infused with the essence of the plant spirits, serving as a bridge between the physical and spiritual realms. For over 27 years, Papa Juan has devoted himself to working with the plant spirits of the jungle, offering ceremonies and dietas to those seeking healing and renewal. Through his gentle presence and deep knowledge, he inspires those around him and helps guide them on their own journeys of healing and transformation.
Papa Juan finds joy and fulfillment in nurturing his chacra, (garden), where he grows and cultivates plants both as food and for healing. The closer he is to the plants, the happier he feels, as they form an integral part of his life and work. When not tending to his garden, he divides his time between his home in Pucallpa, where he lives with his Shipibo wife, and the city of Iquitos, where he continues to share his healing gifts.