Maestra Estela
Maestra Estela Pangoza comes from the Shipibo community of Santa Rose of Denmark, eight hours from Pucallpa by boat. She was born in 1972 and raised by her grandparents, both shamans and healers.
As a child she learned about medicinal plants. At 14 she had her first encounter with ayahuasca.
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1972Born in a Shipibo community, raised by her grandparents.
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Age 14 Her first encounter with ayahuasca.
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Age 20 Her grandfather transfers the power of medicine to her before his death, initiating her as a curandera. She keeps learning with her grandmother.Age 35 She begins to treat foreign guests with physical and psychological trauma, working in well-known healing centers around Iquitos.
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2018 She founds Aya Madre.
Today she has more than 25 years of experience in Shipibo medicine. She has diet many strong plant as Pinon colorado, camalonga, Toe. In her community she is recognized as the master of light, because she accomplish & momth of light diet.
The center
AYAMADRE
In 2018, Maestra Estela officially founded her healing practice as Aya Madre and began turning her vision of a healing space in the Amazon jungle into reality.
She had seen the trend of ayahuasca tourism, often without regard for native and indigenous communities. She was not satisfied with that model, so she decided to build something better.
Her approach is holistic and rooted in the traditional Shipibo way, where ayahuasca is one of many master plants. Profits go back into the Shipibo community.
Aya Madre is 100% female and Shipibo owned.
The place
The center is about an hour south of the Iquitos international airport, past the small village of Nueva Esperanza. It sits in a natural clearing of roughly 22 acres, much of it untouched rainforest, with white sand formations, soft jungle moss, nature trails and a nearby creek for swimming.
The center is simple and comfortable. The tambos are new and clean, and there is now a very good internet connection, so you can stay in touch with family and work during your stay.
Tambos
New, clean individual huts, each with bed, mattress, sheets, pillow, bookshelf, candles, incense and mosquito net
Medicine house
Together with the kitchen and dining room
Two malocas
Large ceremonial houses, one for night and one for day ceremonies
Grounds
Recreation field, outdoor bathrooms and showers, weekly Friday bonfire
Roldan Pangoza
Roldan is Maestra Estela's brother and comes from the same Shipibo family. He has been dieting master plants for 15 years.
At Aya Madre he assists his sister in ceremony and shares with guests what he knows of the Shipibo traditions.
He serves the kambo medicine and leads the Kambo Facilitator Training. His icaros are deeply imbued with the jungle.
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15 years of dieta
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Assists Maestra Estela in ceremony
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Serves kambo and leads the Kambo Facilitator Training
Maestra Estela's family lives at the center, so guests stay inside a working family home and healing community.
