About Alma Tierra: Healers, Musicians, and Retreats in Peru's Sacred Valley
Alma Tierra is a holistic healing center in the Sacred Valley of Cusco, founded by Alonso Rafael Gaitán and Florencia Araceli Diaz. We guide Ayahuasca, Huachuma, and Kambo retreats, along with holistic therapies and workshops, and we care for each person before, during, and after.
Two Decades of Experience
Alonso has more than 20 years of experience with healing traditions, therapies, and master plants.
Healers and Musicians
Alonso and Flor hold ceremony with live music, traditional chants, and plant cleansings.
Care Before, During, and After
We hold one-on-one interviews before and after each ceremony, and we keep our groups small so every person receives the care they need.
Who We Are
What is Alma Tierra?
Alma Tierra is a holistic healing center in the Sacred Valley of Cusco, Peru. [CONFIRM: located in Lamay.] We offer small-group retreats, master plant ceremonies, and alternative therapies with a shamanic, healing, and liberating approach.
Our name joins two words: alma, the soul, and tierra, the earth. We began the project to help people connect with their soul’s path on this earth through master plants, alternative therapies, practical knowledge, and the awakening of consciousness.
This page introduces the people behind Alma Tierra and how we work, so you know who will be with you before you arrive.
Who You Will Meet
The People Behind Every Retreat
Alonso and Flor lead every retreat and speak with you before you book. [PLACEHOLDER: other team members, if any.]
Our Founders
Alonso and Flor
The healers, musicians, and therapists who lead every retreat and speak with you before you book.
Our Way of Working
Ceremonies Held with Care
How we prepare, hold, and integrate each ceremony, one person at a time.
Our Founders
The People Behind Alma Tierra
You will speak with Alonso and Flor before you book, and you can reach them directly afterward. [CONFIRM: both are bilingual in English and Spanish.]
Founder, Healer, and Musician
Alonso Rafael Gaitán
Alonso was born in Venezuela and began his spiritual path at 14, through martial arts and energy channeling. With more than 20 years of experience, he has explored therapies, spiritual traditions, and master plants to answer his own questions and to serve others in their healing. He has worked with Ayahuasca since 2012 and lived for three years in the Peruvian jungle, where he followed diets with ayahuasca masters and, in 2018, learned Kambo from Don Robinson Reyna.
- More than 20 years of experience
- Training in acupuncture and Chinese medicine, Reiki, Akashic Records reading, and regression therapy
- Musician, singer, and composer
Florencia Araceli Diaz
Flor is originally from northern Argentina. She began her path with natural medicines around age 19 and developed it most consistently through art and music. A multidisciplinary musician, she plays guitar, charango, wind instruments, and percussion, and uses her voice in ceremony. Through Ayahuasca and other master plants, she performs cleansings, energy work, and attunements, with a wish for everyone to experience love and self-healing.
- Plays guitar, charango, wind instruments, and percussion
- Cleansings, energy work, and attunements
Our Curanderos, Paqos & Specialists
The Experts We Work With
Our healers work in the traditions of the Andes and the Amazon. We call them curanderos, and where a healer prefers another title, such as paqo, we use theirs.
Why We Say Curandero
Curandero is the Spanish word for a traditional healer, and it names the healing traditions of Peru directly. The word shaman comes from Siberia and is now used for healers in many cultures.
Ayahuasceros, Curanderos & Healers
Alonzo and Flor
Alonzo and Flor are healers, musicians, and therapists from South America who met in the Sacred Valley. They are bilingual and hold space with music, working with master plants and ceremony.
- Many years of training with many medicine.
- From South America and Bilingual
- Excellent musicians and space holders.
Paqo Pampamesiaoc
Luis Quispe & His Community
Luis is a paqo from the Q’ero lineage. His village lies near Ausangate, and he works together with members of his community. He is an expert space holder and performs limpiezas, traditional cleansing rituals.
- From the Q'ero lineage
- His village is near Ausugate
- Expert space holder and limpiezas
Shipiba Currandera
Lydia Huayta Ramirez
Lydia is a Shipibo curandera from the jungle near Pucallpa. She has worked with international guests for a decade and carries the Shipibo musical tradition into ceremony.
- A decade of working with foreigners
- From the jungle near Pucallpa
- Shipibo style musicianship
Our Partners
Partners We Recommend
When we advise guests through our Dieta Advisor service, these are the centers and organizations we know and send people to. We receive no commission from our partners. We charge only for the time of the advising call.
Huachuma Center · Near Cusco
Casa de la Gringa Medicine House
The home of Huachuma guide Lesley Myburg, next to the Temple of the Moon near Cusco. The house has gardens, sleeping quarters, and ancient ruins nearby, and we recommend it to guests who want Huachuma ceremony at a center we know personally.
Huachuma Center · Near Cusco
Casa de la Gringa Medicine House
The home of Huachuma guide Lesley Myburg, next to the Temple of the Moon near Cusco. The house has gardens, sleeping quarters, and ancient ruins nearby.
The center itself offers beautiful gardens, comfortable clean sleeping quarters, and amazing access to ancient ruins. There is no other huachuma center I recommend, Casa de la Gringa offers it all, at an affordable rate with a heart-open mentality that I have seldom encountered in my journeys.
If our retreats are not to your preference, and you seek an experience with The Grandfather, feel free to visit Casa de la Gringa’s website and contact them directly here.
Healing and Retreats · Sacred Valley
Zach at Ayni Collective
Zach is a healer, herbalist, chef, yoga teacher, and facilitator. He has taught yoga since 2021 and holds a Permaculture Design Certificate from 2015. Ayni Collective is built on reciprocity between people, planet, and purpose.
Eco Lodge · Manu Reserve
Bamboo Eco Lodge, Manu Reserve
A family-run eco lodge near Manu National Park. The family practices sustainable land use and runs a volunteer project.
Eco Lodge · Manu Reserve
Bamboo Eco Lodge Manu Reserve:
A family-run eco lodge near Manu National Park. The family practices sustainable land use and runs a volunteer project.
Healing and Ceremony · Sacred Valley
Alonzo and Flor at Alma Tierra
Alonzo and Flor are healers, musicians, and therapists from South America who met in the Sacred Valley. They are bilingual and hold space with music, working with master plants and ceremony.
Alma Tierra is where Alonzo and Flor offer ceremony and alternative therapies. Located in Lamay of the Sacred Valley.
Training Academy · Integration Coaching
Stormy at Out of the Dark Academy
Stormy leads professional training in psychedelic integration coaching, including applied skills, ethics, and trauma-informed practice.
Training Academy · Integration Coaching
Stormy at Out of the Dark Academy
Stormy leads professional training in psychedelic integration coaching, including applied skills, ethics, and trauma-informed practice.
How We Work
Ceremonies Held with Care
Our ceremonies are designed to let you go deep into your own process while feeling calm on a physical, emotional, and mental level. We hold a comfortable, warm, and safe space with live music, and we keep our ceremonies small so each person receives the care they need.
Before the Ceremony
A one-on-one interview helps you focus your intention, so the process feels appropriate and genuine for you.
During the Ceremony
Alonso and Flor care for and assist you throughout, with live music, traditional chants, energy cleansings, and plant cleansings for each person.
After the Ceremony
The next day, we help you integrate the experience by sharing what we saw in relation to you, giving it deeper meaning.
What Is Our Purpose?
We hope each person leaves lighter, with more peace and order in their inner narrative, the story we tell about our lives and ourselves. We have found it works better to first heal and organize that narrative, and then to understand the transcendent. We serve medicine so that you can have a better life, aligned with your own inner light.
Our Values
Three values guide Alonso and Flor, and everyone who joins our work.
Gratitude
We approach the medicine, and the traditions that carry it, with gratitude.
Humility
We serve as students of the medicine, open to learning and to the people we serve.
Dedication
We bring our knowledge, studies, and life lessons to work for others, with love for what we do.
About Alma Tierra FAQ
Below you’ll find answers to common questions about who we are and how our team works. If you don’t see your question, visit our FAQ page or contact us.
About Mountain Wind FAQ
Who is Mountain Wind?
Mountain Wind is a medicine retreat and tourism company based in Cusco, Peru. We lead Huachuma, Ayahuasca, and Kambo retreats, train retreat staff, and offer professional services to other retreat centers.
How long has Mountain Wind been running retreats?
Mountain Wind is a newer company, founded by Shane Parks, who has hosted retreats for more than five years through earlier projects.
Why should I choose Mountain Wind?
We aim to make it easier to find your way through the world of medicine retreats. Our pricing is transparent, our staff are experienced, and you can speak with us before you decide.
What is the difference between your team, your associates, and your curanderos?
Our team runs Mountain Wind and plans your retreat. Associates are facilitators, cooks, and guides we call in for specific retreats. Curanderos are the traditional healers who hold ceremony.
Who will be with my group?
It depends on the retreat. We will tell you who is joining your group during your onboarding call.
Curanderos and Partners FAQ
Why do you say curandero instead of shaman?
Curandero is a Spanish word for a traditional healer, and curandera is the feminine form. It names the healing traditions of Peru directly. Shaman is a word from Siberia that is now used for healers in many cultures. Where a healer prefers another title, such as paqo for an Andean healer, we use that person’s preferred title.
Do you receive compensation for recommending partners?
No. We receive no commission from partner centers. When we advise a guest on the right center, we charge only for the time of the call.
How do you choose partners?
We recommend centers and people we have worked with and know personally. We ask every partner to hold to humility, purity, and respect.
Are partner centers part of Mountain Wind?
We recommend centers and people we have worked with and know personally. We ask every partner to hold to humility, purity, and respect.
Are partner centers part of Mountain Wind?
No. Our partners are independent centers and organizations. We recommend them, and each one runs its own programs and sets its own terms.
Can my center become a partner?
Yes. We welcome centers, facilitators, and group leaders who offer Huachuma, Ayahuasca, or Kambo. Contact us and we will talk through what a partnership would look like.
Talk With Us
Meet Us Before You Decide
Book a free call and tell us what you are looking for. We will answer your questions plainly, and if a partner or another path fits you better, we will say so.