About Awamayu
Our Story
Awamayu is a project rooted in ancestral traditions and a profound connection to the land. Its name comes from the Quechua words awaq (weaving) and mayu (river), symbolizing the coming together of diverse paths to create a harmonious whole.
The vision for Awamayu began in 2017 when the founder, Andrea, first arrived in the Andes and felt an immediate connection to the land, culture, and traditions of the region. Over the years, this bond deepened as she delved into the art of folk herbalism, embraced the principles of permaculture, and immersed herself in the wisdom of plant medicines and the spiritual teachings of the Andean and Shipibo-Konibo traditions. These experiences wove together a deeper understanding of authenticity, love, and service, forming the heart of Awamayu’s mission.
At its core, Awamayu seeks to integrate Western knowledge with the ancestral traditions of the Andes, honoring the indigenous peoples who have cared for these lands for millennia. Through community, education, and collaboration, Awamayu promotes living in harmony with the Earth and embracing Ayni, the Andean principle of reciprocity. It is a space where individuals come together to learn, grow, and contribute to a shared vision of love, balance, and connection.
Awamayu Family
Awamayu would not exist without the love and dedication that pours from every individual in our tight-knit family. We join together with our Quechua brothers and sisters to weave the vibrant, intercultural tapestry of Awamayu.
Andrea Cerrilla
INTERCULTURAL LIASON & FOUNDER
Andrea is the founder and director of Awamayu. She acts as our intercultural bridge between the western world and the Quechua communities, coordinating programs, partnerships, and community initiatives. An herbalist at heart, Andrea brings her inspiration for plant medicine work, Andean culture, and authentic expression to Awamayu.
Candace Garland
JOURNEY FACILITATOR
Candace is a medicine woman, ecstatic dance dj, and a devotee to Mother Earth. She is trained in Kambo, reiki, and Mayan womb massage, and for the past four years has been based in Peru while also visiting other sacred parts of the world to immerse herself on a healing path through plant medicines - Ayahuasca and Cacao being her main teachers. Candace facilitates plant medicine retreats and holds a deep reverence for the plants and their traditions.
Ariel Szabo
JOURNEY FACILITATOR
Ariel is a midwife of intimacy and connection. Walking people back to their bodies, their hearts, and their desires. Ariel is trained as a sexological bodyworker, somatic sex educator, and psychedelic therapist in service of supporting people in their journey to sovereignty, embodiment, sexual wholeness, and freedom. Ariel values pleasure and expanded states of consciousness as potent medicine with transformative potential.
Qori Qespe Wayta
QUECHUA MEDICINE WOMAN & CEREMONY LEADER
Qori is a carrier of the ancestral feminine lineage of Mama Killa y Pachamama, from the path of ancestral wisdom. She is our Quechua medicine woman, wisdom keeper, cosmovision teacher, and ceremony leader.
Yogini Shakti
WACHUMA MEDICINE WOMAN
Yogini is a transpersonal therapist and medicine woman from Brazil who has been sharing and holding Wachuma (San Pedro) ceremonies for 7 years. Yogini takes us on journeys with the medicine, guiding us on pilgrimages to sacred locations in the Andes.
JoLyn Rekasis
RETREAT COOK
JoLyn is a food alchemist and kitchen herbalist that creates high-vibrational food by infusing prayer and intention into every meal and using high-quality, local, and organic ingredients. Jo helps us by cooking all of our nourishing meals during retreats.
Tatito Morales
QUECHUA DRUM MAKER & COSMOLOGY TEACHER
Tatito is a talented artisan making natural drums out of animal hides, seeing each drum as a sacred being that has been reborn. He shares his knowledge and love for Andean traditions with us through his craft, story, ritual, and ceremony.
Vanessa Gonzalez
SWEAT LODGE CEREMONY LEADER
Vane’s path is woven with the Lakota tribes of the North, and the Huni Kuin tribes of the Amazon, and she comes to Awamayu to share inipi (sweat lodge) ceremonies, where we come together to sweat, to pray for our relations, to remember the words of our elders, and to learn to listen to our intuition. She also works with the jungle medicines of Rapé, Kambo, and Sananga.
Benigno Rayo Dias
QUECHUA HERBALIST & HIKING GUIDE
Benigno is committed to preserving the medicinal plant knowledge of his ancestors by sharing with us through plant hikes, plant meditations, medicinal properties lessons, and essential oil making workshops.