Healer profile · Andean Chachi tradition
Taita Hernán Toapanta
Curandero · Aguacolla / Wachuma / San Pedro
Taita Hernán carries the Andean side of our work — Aguacolla, Wachuma, San Pedro — in the Chachi tradition. His ceremonies are held with prayer, song, and the sacred fire.
A native of Quito, Ecuador, Taita Hernán has been planting, harvesting, and preparing the medicine of Aguacolla, Wachuma, and San Pedro since he was a young man — cooking the brew alongside his wife and children. For many years he has prepared and shared this wonderful medicine with various Taitas in Ecuador and other countries, bringing healing to the people and communities of the Andes mountains and the world.
Now fifty-three and based in Quito, his journey began in his youth following his heart and the Chachi tradition. Along the way he has also integrated the Ayahuasca plant and the sacred mushrooms into his practice, always learning beside the elders of the Chachi people.
A follower of the red path, sun dancer, vision seeker, temazcalero, chanupa carrier, and star dancer — Taita Hernán is at the service of humanity, opening and raising the table of the Ecuadorian Chachi tradition. With his medicine of Wachuma and San Pedro he guides our ceremonies through prayer and song, beside the sacred fire, in a ritual of healing and ancestral connection.
Path & credentials
Chachi tradition carrier
Born and raised in Quito, lifelong student of the Chachi people and their elders.
Sun dancer · vision seeker
Follower of the red path, sun dancer, and vision seeker.
Temazcalero · chanupa carrier
Holds temazcal and pipe ceremony — the way the work is sealed and grounded.
Star dancer
Continues to study and dance in the lineage of star dancers across the Americas.
Family preparation of the medicine
Cooks the medicine alongside his wife and children — the brew is prepared by the family.
Want to sit in ceremony with Taita Hernán?
Taita Hernán leads our 7-day San Pedro / Aguacolla retreats. The fastest way to find a date that works is to write us — we'll send the upcoming schedule and answer any prep questions within a day.
Write to us about a retreat with Taita Hernán