Asociación de Yacchacs de San Juan de Ilumán


This village off the Panamericana about 7km northeast of Otavalo is also famous for its local shamans’ association, which has around 120 members. Members advertise by scrawling their name in large letters on their homes. Feel free to try it out, but remember that cleansings, involving raw egg and spittle, can get messy.

We've been warned by locals that the most obvious of the shamans here are also a bit inclined to be rip-off artists, or at best, self-promoters. You can get some of the same services in Otavalo.


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