Maestro Diego
Rojas Sanchez Shipibo Master Curandero
& Vegetalista

The renowned Shipibo Maestro, Diego Sanchez, is one of the most powerful and pure-hearted Ayahuasca Maestro shaman living in Peru today. He draws upon a remarkable shamanic lineage; he studied with his grandfather, Manuel Rojas Sanacino,  who was one of the last ‘Merayas’ – the highest grade of shaman you can achieve. 

Besides his great wisdom and healing power, Master Diego possesses a kindness, patience & humility from deep in his heart for all of humanity. He is also widely known for singling the most beautiful Icaro’s in the Amazon, with a voice that surpasses any in Peru. The deep love he feels for you and your healing, is moving and notably felt by all who attend his ceremonies.

For the past 15-years, Maestro Diego has been living and working from his home which is in an indigenous Shipibo community named Vista Alegre. He began building Soi Rawa Spiritual Healing Center in 2018, in the same community. He works with individuals, couples, and can host groups. He’s helped individuals with addressing many types of illnesses, on all four bodies: Spiritual, Mental, Emotions, and Physical. He is very humble about his work and will often give all the credit to the medicinal plants and the trees. The common understanding and belief is that the spirits of the plants and trees are the true physicians. Maestro Diego only considers himself a conduit and a channel.

Over the years he has traveled outside of his community periodically to practice his craft. There was a time when he was contracted by a retreat center located in the Sacred Valley, Peru geared toward westerners. This is a common path for many maestros, often a way to gain exposure to the outside world. While under his watch, the individuals he worked with received a high level of attention, it was very evident to him that it was not the same as working from his native land. He needed to be in the jungle as is his pharmacy, a place where he can take a brief walk to access what he needs when he needs it.

Maestro Diego’s Background

Maestro Diego began his training at age 16. His initial training involved an intense 1.5 year long sacred diet. Since age 18 he has continued dieting with other sacred plants and trees.

He became a maestro (master healer) at age 19. The terms curandero (healer) and a vegetalista (heals with plants and trees) are also often used to denote his expertise. His training gives him the ability to approach treatment using one of two methods: he can utilize a myriad of plants and trees in combination with Ayahuasca or can solely employ plants and trees during treatment.

The Shipibo

Shipibo are an indigenous tribe located in the Peruvian Amazon that has been considered to have one of the most intimate relationships and depth of knowledge working with the many healing plants and trees of the Amazon. The Shipibo’s official name is Shipibo-Conibo (or Shipibo-Konibo).

Maestro Diego Sanchez Rojas was born in August of 1986. He hails from a long tradition of indigenous healers from the Shipibo tribe. The official name of the tribe is Shipibo-Conibo but it is common to only use the first half of the name.

Origins

Vista Alegre is in the Peruvian Amazon. It is approximately a 2.5 hour road trip from the nearest large town, Campo Verde and approximately 3-3.5 hours from Pucallpa which is the largest city in the local region. Pucallpa is a 1-hr flight from Lima, Peru. Vista Alegre is one of many small Shipibo indigenous communities that dot the Ucayali River. Maestro Diego is originally from another indigenous community named, Porvenir. To reach Porvenir from Vista Alegre requires an additional 2 hours of travel deeper into the Amazon by way of speed boat, where a commercial boat can take between 5-6 hours. It was during his time in Porvenir that he received the call to learn the ancient ways of his ancestors.

Lineage

His maternal grandfather, Manuel Rojas Sanacino, was his first teacher. Maestro Manuel wasboth a curandero and vegetalista. His grandfather was 74 years old when Maestro Diego initially began his training. His grandfather later passed away at 92 years old.

His maternal great grandfather and great grandmother were from a class of healers considered superior: These healers were known as Meraya. From what is known, no Merayas exist today. During the time of the Merayas small groups of families lived close to one another in clusters; the communities as they are now did not exist then. As with many indigenous peoples, the Shipibo did not record their history as it was passed down orally; as a result, it is not clear how far back the lineage goes but it is likely to extend hundreds, and probably thousands of years of shamans back in time.

Maestro Diego has continued to carry on the tradition of curanderismo and adheres to the foundation that was set by his grandfather for delivering the medicine and healing methods passed on to him. He maintains a high degree of reverence for his role in extending his lineage into the future and continues the legacy of his ancestors by holding space with integrity and fidelity. He was given a vision that he was to create a healing center where he would one day help in the healing of humanity, and a place from where he could teach others who were called to embark on this path. This is very much in line with what is transpiring around the world. There is a resurgence occurring, a global awakening, that is leading humanity to rediscover the “ancient ways” and practices for healing.