On December 29, 2023, my compadre, Juan Gabriel, passed away.
Who is/was Juan Gabriel?
Here are Juan’s own words in an excerpt from a 2018 interview. You can find the entire interview here: https://sacredvalleyexpats.com/2018/12/13/learning-about-the-qero-people-in-the-sacred-valley/
I was raised in the Q’ero Nation, a culture where ceremony, prayer, and communication with Earth and Sky, Wind, Moon and Sun, Pachamama and the Creator were commonplace. When I was 20, I decided to study under my own Maestro for 10 years before I started offering ceremonies myself. Over the course of overcoming immense hardship through prayer and faith, many, many despacho ceremonies, coca divination readings, prayers with coca, rituals, and several initiations into each stage as a Maestro Elder of the Living Energy of Q’eros, I am who I am today.
I met Juan over twelve years ago at a workshop in Mount Shasta. He was standing behind a table overflowing with exquisitely woven textiles, and the unification of my funky Spanish with his patience—Juan’s first language was Quechua. Spanish was his second—led to a heartfelt communication. When we were complete, I gave him my card, which, upon his return to Peru, Juan showed to Carolina Putman, his translator. Carolina was a chakaruna—a bridge between worlds— for Juan and spent years helping him reach and serve hundreds of people.
Juan and Carolina visited me in California that following year. Juan offered despachos, teachings, karpays, and coca leaf readings. We brought him to Mount Shasta, where he stayed with my friend and did the same. A lucky group spent a day on the mountain with him.
Juan named the first group I brought to Peru “The Pachamamitas.”
I was the madrina for Juan’s son, Jorge, at his wedding—a one-week event in Charkapata, a traditional Q’ero village at 15,000 feet elevation in the Andes mountains. Charkapata is Juan’s ancestral community and land. One day after the wedding, Juan pulled me aside and passionately shared about his love for his village, a piece of Pachamama that, he said, was not separate from his physical body but inside it. Juan wanted me to know that there were no words to describe how difficult it was for him to live in Cusco.
I had not seen Juan since before the Camp Fire in 2018, and during my September 2023 trip, I was unable to make plans with him. I didn’t learn of his illness until December, when, at Carolina’s suggestion, I made a short video for him. She said he loved it.
An elder of the Q’ero nation, Juan offered powerful karpays—energy transmissions. He was an extraordinary coca leaf reader and ceremonialist. His teachings about living in interconnection with all things were classic. Juan had a great sense of humor and enjoyed meeting new people. A man of integrity, Juan was loved and respected by many.
I miss him deeply, as do all who knew him.
In the above-mentioned interview, when asked, “What key life lesson would you like to pass on to the younger generation?” Juan said,
Oh Annie. I am so sorry for your loss what a precious gift of a friend you had. I know he was more than a friend to you, but it sounds like he blessed everyone he came in contact with. Your pictures show how happy you were around him. I will keep him and you and his family in my prayers.
I got tears in my eyes reading Juan’s key lessons to the younger generations. Patience and faith require the utmost surrender. I rarely see these intentions and lessons promoted in the media. It is always re-invigorating to read these simple, potent lessons. Thank you for sharing. May the next leg of Juan’s soul journey be full of peace, love, and joy.