Israel Yaycate Pezo was born in a very remote village along the Ucayali river. Since his childhood he is deeply connected to the wisdom and healing power of the Amazon rainforest and master plants. His grandfather, a healer from the Yagua tribe, initiated him in their ancestral plant medicine ways at the age of four. A few years later, his spiritual path with Madre Ayahuasca began.

He was led to Maestro Don Francisco Guerra Tananta as a young teen and spent many years learning the healing craft of the curandero from him and other maestros in the region. He worked in Francisco’s former camp for more than 10 years, preparing plant medicine, assisting in ceremonies, and supporting clients on their spiritual paths and healing journeys. There he met Katharina in 2012, who returned to the camp for many years, and their lives began to intertwine.

He moved to Switzerland in 2020 and used his ancestral wisdom to connect with local healing plants and explore the spiritual traditions of Europe. In his ceremonies and treatments he merges his ancestral craft with the power of European master plants, the Swiss mountains, forests, and lakes. Living in Europe has given him a new perspective on the societal challenges and life circumstances of his clients. 

Together with Francisco and Katharina he founded Santuario Pachaymanto, a healing centre specialised in Amazonian ancestral plant medicine, in December 2022. He travels there regularly to accompany jungle immersions and be amongst the master plant teachers of his native rainforest.

Israel carries the power, wisdom and wilderness of the jungle in his heart. He has the wonderful gift of being able to look deep into people’s souls – without preconceived opinions or worldly convictions. Holding them in pure love and acceptance. The purity and elemental force of his deep connection to the divine flows through his healing craft and is carried by his unshakeable trust in life. His patience and tolerance make him a healer who welcomes every person with open arms and an open heart.