Carla Jannette
SANTA TERRA * MINISTRY PRESENTS:
The Jaguar
& The Hummingbird
Ancestral Medicine Retreat
January 14–18, 2027
Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
Sacha Retreat Center · San Marcos La Laguna
Two Ancient Traditions.
One Sacred Journey of Remembrance.
Some journeys are not about becoming someone new.
They are about remembering who you have always been.
There are moments in life when we feel called beyond the familiar.
Beyond the roles we have inherited. Beyond the stories we have carried. Beyond the separation we have felt from our bodies, our ancestors, the Earth, and the Divine.
I’X · IQ’ — The Jaguar & The Hummingbird is an invitation into that remembering.
For five days and four nights, we gather in the volcanic highlands of Guatemala to sit with two living ancestral traditions: the sacred fire and ceremonial calendar practices of K’iche’ Maya spiritual guides, and the plant medicine and healing-song traditions of Shipibo-Konibo curanderos from the Peruvian Amazon.
Through ceremony, prayer, sacred song, somatic embodiment, rest, and community, we create space to listen more deeply to life.
This is not a journey of collecting spiritual experiences. It is an opportunity to cultivate relationship, humility, reciprocity, and a more embodied way of walking your path.
The Jaguar & The Hummingbird
Earth & Wind. Embodiment & Spirit.
In the Maya sacred calendar, I’x is associated with the jaguar, the Earth, and the sacred altars, sites and temples, while Iq’ represents wind, breath, and the invisible movement of life. The hummingbird is among the animal associations of Iq’ in Maya teachings.
Together, they offer a beautiful symbolic invitation.
The Jaguar calls us into our bodies, our instincts, our relationship with the Earth, and the courage to meet what lives within us.
The Hummingbird invites movement, breath, lightness, expression, and the possibility of transformation.
One teaches us to root.
The other reminds us to fly.
Together, they invite us to remember that our spiritual path is not separate from our human experience.
Two Ancestral Traditions, One Sacred Altar.
The Maya Sacred Fire
With Tata Miguel & Tata Juan
Journey into the living ceremonial traditions of the K’iche’ Maya with twin spiritual guides Tata Miguel and Tata Juan from Chichicastenango, Guatemala.
Through two sacred fire ceremonies, we gather in prayer, gratitude, and reverence for the elements, our ancestors, and the cycles of life.
Part of this retreats' collective prayer is the honoring and convergence of two sacred paths. We do this by honoring the local ways, peoples and spirits, of lthese ancestral Mayan lands.
Participants will also be introduced to the Chol Q’ij, the sacred 260-day Maya calendar, and the spiritual energies known as nawales, and will receive a personal reading as part of this experience.
These teachings offer an opportunity to explore our relationship with sacred time, the natural world, and the wisdom preserved within living Indigenous traditions.
The Shipibo Plant Medicine Tradition
With Maestra Juanita & Maestro Darwin
From the Peruvian Amazon, Maestra Juanita and Maestro Darwin carry the healing traditions of the Shipibo-Konibo people.
Through two traditional ayahuasca ceremonies, participants are invited into a ceremonial space guided by prayer, sacred songs known as ikaros, and the maestros' relationship with the medicinal plants.
The ceremonies are held within a framework of preparation, screening, consent, and integration.
We approach this work with humility and respect for the lineage, recognizing that the plants are not simply experiences to consume, but part of living systems of knowledge, relationship, and responsibility.
Your Retreat Experience
Over five days, our gathering is designed to include:
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Two traditional K’iche’ Maya sacred fire ceremonies
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Two Shipibo ayahuasca ceremonies with Maestra Juanita and Maestro Darwin
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Teachings on the Maya calendar and the nawales
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Sacred sweat ceremony
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Daily yoga, somatic movement, and meditation
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Prayer, sacred song, and community connection
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Guided reflection and integration
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Time for rest and connection with the natural beauty of Lake Atitlán
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Personal Mayan Calendar Reading
Every aspect of the experience is held with reverence for the teachers, their traditions, and each participant's individual journey. Specific activities remain subject to health suitability and final program confirmation.
Is This Journey Calling You?
Perhaps you've walked a spiritual path for years, yet something within you is calling you deeper.
You've read the books. Attended the workshops. Sat in ceremonies. Explored healing, spirituality, and personal transformation.
And yet, you know there is more to discover—not necessarily through another teaching, but through a deeper relationship with your body, the Earth, the Divine, and the wisdom that lives within you.
This journey may be for you if…
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You feel called to deepen your relationship with ancestral wisdom and Indigenous ceremonial traditions, learning directly from the teachers who carry them.
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You are navigating a life transition and seeking intentional space for reflection, prayer, and reconnection.
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You are a healer, artist, facilitator, spiritual practitioner, or seeker who wants to cultivate a more grounded relationship with your own gifts and spiritual path.
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You are drawn to the medicine of both the Jaguar and the Hummingbird—the courage to meet your shadows and the freedom to express your authentic spirit.
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You long for meaningful community with others who value authenticity, reverence, spiritual sovereignty, and conscious living.
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You are ready to approach ceremony with humility, curiosity, personal responsibility, and respect for the traditions being shared.
This Journey May Not Be for You If…
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You're looking for a quick fix, instant enlightenment, or someone else to do your healing for you.
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You're primarily seeking an intense psychedelic experience rather than a relationship with the teachings, preparation, and integration.
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You're unwilling to honor the ceremonial guidelines, personal boundaries, or traditions of the Indigenous teachers.
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You're looking for a certification or authorization to facilitate Indigenous ceremonies.
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You're not willing or able to complete the necessary health screening and preparation.
You don't need to have everything figured out.
You don't need to be a healer, a spiritual teacher, or someone with years of ceremonial experience.
What matters is your willingness to arrive with an open heart, a grounded intention, and reverence for the journey.
Participation is subject to an individual application and health screening process.
Apply for the Retreat
Meet the Team
Isa Yaka, aka Maestra Juana, Juanita, or Mama Juana was born into the Shipibo community of Pahoyan, one of the most powerful Shipibo healing lineages in the Peruvian Amazon.
She is 68 years. She is a mother of 9 children, grandmother of over 30; and lovingly married to her husband Papa Ale. Papa Ale you will also get to meet as he is our medicine maestro and cook.
Maestra Juana is a highly-respected curandera and comes from one of the original shamanic lineages and families, the Mahua family.
Juana began her first Noya Rao dieta with her father, when she was 15 years old and has dedicated her life to the path of healing ever since. She once dieted Noya Rao for four straight years. She is the embodiment of this sacred tree.
Just like the energies of Bobinsana and Noya Rao, she is pure light, love and wisdom. Her powerful icaros reflect that state of grace. She will sing individually to each guest as well as to the entire group.
Rai Nima, aka Darwin, is one of Juana’ s five sons and was destined to be a shaman from before birth even. Mama Juana was actively serving the medicine since before her pregancy.
He is thirty-six years old, and he likes to say that the medicine and the master plants have been impregnated into his DNA, well before his birth, from his mama, aunts, uncles, grand-fathers and all his ancestors.
He attended his first ceremony at the age of thirteen and has not stopped since. Now he is a respected leader and teacher for many other Shipibo relatives, Ayahuasca practitioners and Shamans.
His real passion and calling are to share the healing power and the wisdom of the medicinal plants with his fellow ‘pasajeros’.
He sings the Icaros with a beautiful voice and has a commanding and reassuring presence during the ceremonies. Many come from far and near to learn from this master, and you can too.
Carla Jannette Gonzalez-Guerra is the lead Host & Integration Facilitator, responsible for acting as liaison for all retreat guests and local Shamans/ Curandersos. She is also, Ritual Artist, Transformational Healer, Teacher and student of life, bridging the world of Yoga, Tantra, Chakra Psychology, Shamanism, Plant Medicine*, and Divine Feminine Spirituality.
Some of Carla’s merits include having a bachelors degree in Clinical Psychology from UCSD (2011); receiving her 200HR YTT yoga teacher training in India in 2013; becoming a Reiki Level 1, 2, & 3 Master Practitioner from 2015 to 2017; getting her 300HR YTT in Shamanic Yoga in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala in 2016, and most recently, becoming a THETA Healing Practitioner in 2023.
She has been sharing and spreading the medicine of Cacao and Kambo since 2017. She has trained under Mayan Spiritual Guides, has dieted in the jungle with the Shipibos, has visited the Huni Kuin and Yawanawa tribes in the Amazon of Peru, and has met the Kambo frog in the Jungle of Peru.
Carla is a native Spanish and English speaker, which lends well to her mission of being a bridge to this world. She will be in charge of translating for all participants during the retreat, as well as offering a number of workshops, music classes, and integration opportunities.
Tata Miguel & Tata Juan — K’iche’ Maya Spiritual Guides and twin brothers from Chichicastenango, Guatemala,/
Tata Miguel and Tata Juan share their ceremonial knowledge of sacred fire, prayer, and the Maya calendar.
Together, they guide our opening and closing fire ceremonies, helping us honor the spiritual dimensions of time, nature, and ancestral remembrance.
Our Sanctuary: Sacha Retreat Center
A sacred space held by the mountains
Nestled in San Marcos La Laguna, near the shores of Lake Atitlán, Sacha Retreat Center offers an intimate sanctuary for ceremony, reflection, and connection.
Surrounded by gardens and the natural beauty of Guatemala's volcanic highlands, the retreat provides space to slow down, reconnect with the Earth, and turn inward.
Our gathering will be centered around its ceremonial facilities and communal spaces, with accommodation arranged according to the final rooming plan.
Location: San Marcos La Laguna, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala.
Your Investment
$1,800 (Shared Accomodation)
January 14–18, 2027 | Five days, four nights
Your retreat experience is planned to include onsite shared accommodation, two daily meals, two Maya fire ceremonies, two Shipibo ceremonies, sacred sweat, embodiment and integration practices, group facilitation, and English–Spanish translation support.
Travel to Lake Atitlán, personal expenses, and optional private consultations are
not included.
If you would like to attend but stay offsite, please contact Carla at Carlaguerra333@gmail.com to arrange.
All ceremonial participation requires appropriate screening and informed consent.
The Master Plant Dieta Extension
Seven Days in Sacred Relationship with the Plants
January 18–25, 2027
For those who feel called to deepen their study, we offer an intimate Shipibo Master Plant Dieta with Maestra Juanita and Maestro Darwin.
Within the Shipibo tradition, a master plant dieta is a disciplined period of relationship with a specific plant, guided by an experienced traditional practitioner.
Through simplicity, rest, prayer, and the guidance of the maestros, participants dedicate themselves to listening more deeply to the teachings of the plants.
Possible plant studies include Bobinsana and Noya Rao, with the appropriate plant and protocol determined through individual consultation.
The dieta is planned around a max of 6-9 participants, each with private accomodations, allowing space for privacy, rest, and personal reflection.
Dieta investment
$2,500 stand-alone
or $4,000 for full package Immersion + Dieta
(January 14th to 25th - 11nights, 12 days)
Dieta application deadline: December 1, 2026.
Acceptance is subject to individual screening, the maestros' approval, and accommodation availability. The specific dietary, ceremonial, and post-dieta protocols will be communicated to accepted participants.
By application: Apply for the Master Plant Dieta
If you would like to attend but stay offsite, please contact
Carla at Carlaguerra333@gmail.com to arrange.
Payment Options:
$600 Deposit to reserve your spot
Or choose from full payment and payment plan options
For direct transfer payments:
Wise: heartchocolateyoga@gmail.com
Paypal or Zelle: carlaguerra333@gmail.com
Venmo @Carla-Jannette-1
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do I need previous experience with ayahuasca?
Not necessarily. Every applicant completes a screening process to determine whether participation is appropriate.
Can I attend only the dieta extension?
Yes. Independent applicants may apply for the seven-day dieta at $2,500, subject to approval and availability.
Will I have a private room?
The rettreat is designed around shared-accomodations, and the dieta extension is designed around five private participant bedrooms. Main-retreat accommodation will depend on the confirmed rooming arrangements.
People who signup first or for the complete immersion have priority.
Are flights and transfers included?
No. Participants arrange their own travel to Lake Atitlán. Arrival instructions and transportation guidance will be shared before the retreat.
Can I receive private consultations with the teachers?
Additional consultations may be available depending on the teachers' schedules, with any separate fees communicated beforehand.
Can I participate if I take medication?
This requires individualized medical review. Certain medications and health conditions may make ayahuasca unsafe. Never discontinue prescribed medication solely to attend a ceremony.
Come as you are. Remember what is sacred.
The Jaguar & The Hummingbird is an invitation to gather in reverence, honor living ancestral traditions, and deepen our relationship with the Earth, our bodies, and the Divine.
To remember the strength of the Jaguar.
The lightness of the Hummingbird.
And the sacredness of being fully human.
I’X · IQ’ — The Jaguar & The Hummingbird
January 14–18, 2027 Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
An ancestral medicine encounter hosted by Santa Terra Ministry.