Guardians of Memory: Traditional Medicine, Yagé, and the Wisdom of Diego Marmolejo
At Camino al Sol, our mission goes beyond hosting retreats. It is about protecting a lineage. To offer an authentic experience rooted in tradition, such as an Authentic Ayahuasca Retreat in Colombia, we must first listen to the voices that have carried this fire for generations.
Today, we introduce one of those vital voices: Taita Diego Marmolejo.
Diego is a médico tradicional, a traditional healer whose life bridges the deep ancestral knowledge of the Amazon with the modern seeker’s need for clarity and responsibility. His relationship with Yagé helps define the integrity we strive to uphold in every ceremony, understanding the plant not as an experience to consume, but as a teacher to listen to.
In this conversation, Diego takes us to the roots of his practice, explains the true role of a healer, and offers a grounded diagnosis of the modern world.
A Childhood Among Sages: The Roots of Medicine
The path of ancestral medicine was not a decision Diego made later in life. It was the environment he grew up in, in San Joaquín Piñuña Negro, Putumayo.
“Since I was a child, I was always in contact with the traditions of native peoples,” Diego explains. “My father was always involved with medicine, surrounded by abuelos, curacas, and chiefs. It wasn’t something strange for us. The traditional doctor was simply the one who cured with plants.”
In the jungle, where hospitals were nonexistent, communities relied on elders and their knowledge. Diego recalls how his parents learned remedies to heal the physical body, while deeper practices, including the use of Yagé, remained protected and discreet, preserved until the right moment and context.
The Role of the Healer: A Guardian of Life
What does it actually mean to be a healer today?
For Diego, it has nothing to do with power or status.
“To be a traditional doctor is, first and foremost, a divine gift. It is the will of the Creator. It is a beautiful responsibility centered on the care of life, preserving the mystery and magic that life contains.”
He describes the healer as a scientist of the territory. We cannot protect what we do not know. The healer studies the land, observes ecosystems, listens to signs, and through prayer, song, and practice, safeguards balance.
“A traditional doctor is a guide, a counselor, and a visionary. Their role is to ensure that the mystery of existence is not lost.”
Yaogará: A Sanctuary for Lineage
Today, Diego works from Yaogará, the “House of Remedy,” in the mountains of Antioquia. Its purpose closely mirrors the values we hold at Camino al Sol: the understanding that setting is part of the medicine.
Yaogará functions as a living botanical ark, gathering medicinal plants from across Colombia that are at risk of disappearing due to deforestation and displacement. But it is also a spiritual sanctuary.
“We want to recreate life beautifully, calmly, and in harmony with the heart,” Diego says. “The earth has a heart. Plants have hearts. This place is also a landing space for the elders and spirits of the medicine.”
A place like this is not decoration. It is part of the work.
The Mystery of Yagé: Learning How to Live
In a world increasingly shaped by recreational approaches to psychedelics, Diego brings the conversation back to responsibility.
“For us, Yagé is the major plant, the chief of that kingdom where the memory of the earth is stored. It is our teacher. And what does it teach us? It teaches us how to live.”
This understanding is central to our approach to the Ayahuasca Safety Guide. The medicine reflects the inner state of the person who approaches it.
“The remedy depends on how you think, how you feel, and how your heart is,” Diego explains. “If there is humility and respect, the visions are one thing. If someone arrives only out of curiosity, the remedy is wise and knows what to show.”
This is why the presence of a trained guide matters. The songs and ícaros are not performances. They are coordinates from above, guiding the ceremony and maintaining balance throughout the night.
The Sickness of the Modern World: Ego
From an ancestral spiritual perspective, Diego sees a clear illness affecting modern humanity.
“Ego is like a magnet that repels connection,” he says. “It creates conflict because counsel has been lost.”
He observes that today’s leaders rarely speak about the care of life itself. Instead, discourse is dominated by comparison, dominance, and separation.
Behind conflict, Diego sees a loss of basics.
“We have complicated life so much that we have forgotten how to start with one,” he says. “A child lives more calmly because they focus on what is essential: life, family, food.”
The medicine, he explains, constantly brings us back to these foundations.
A Message for the Future: Keeping the Fire Alive
To those drawn to this path, and to those who feel called toward the Best Place to Drink Ayahuasca in Medellín, Diego offers simple but demanding advice.
“Value life. Return to respect and humility. No one is more than anyone else.”
He cautions against superficial learning.
“Don’t just search on the internet. Approach the source. Form a bond with the plants.”
For Diego, ancestral wisdom is like a fire. Each culture holds a piece of the fuel. If we stop tending it, it goes out.
“It is vital to keep the memory alive,” he says. “We must care for the elders, the territories, and the medicines, so that these teachings remain for the children and grandchildren.”
Diego doesn’t offer easy answers for a broken world. He offers something more demanding.
Responsibility.
Simplicity.
Life itself as the ceremony.
At Camino al Sol, we are honored to walk alongside guardians like Diego Marmolejo. If you feel called to approach this medicine with preparation and respect, you can learn more about our mission and lineage on the About Camino al Sol page.
