EXCLUSIVE: Meet Quetzalli, The New Non Profit Supporting Mexico's Ancestral Roots

In the midst of the ongoing psychedelic renaissance, provider of wellness, the educational and sustainability group, Kaivalya Kollectiv is launching a non-profit organization called Quetzalli. The group will provide programs that will focus on medicinal plant preservation, cultural preservation, ecosystem regeneration and public education. 

Kaivalya and its subsidiaries perform their psychedelic retreats and provide information on these substances based on the direct access to traditional ceremonial knowledge offered by local communities and practitioners.

Quetzalli’s mission involves honoring Mexico’s ancient ancestral wisdom and preserving Indigenous practices through programs focused on medicinal plant and cultural preservation, ecosystem regeneration and public education on wellness and sustainability.

“Indigenous usage of psychedelics in sacred ceremonies has developed over thousands of years, producing knowledge that can benefit all of humanity. It is imperative that we approach these practices through the lens of sustainability and integral preservation so we can all continue to benefit and heal using traditions passed down through generations. This means supporting communities of wisdom keepers and actively becoming caretakers of the psychedelic garden we call earth,” the non-profit’s executive director, Michael DeNicola told Benzinga.

On behalf of Kaivalya, CEO Joel Brierre added, "In essence, Quetzalli is Kaivalya Kollectiv’s way of giving back to this beautiful country that has nourished us so deeply. The collaborative spirit of Quetzalli’s vision is in line with Kaivalya’s values and we are happy to utilize our networks, resources, and our own sweat to move it forward.” 

Brierre added that the company will encourage Kaivalya’s team as well as all other industry leaders who have benefited from Indigenous lands and practices to get involved in the new project however possible.

Quetzalli’s first initiatives will include supporting the local Wixárika tribe in building greenhouses and germination equipment to ensure an adequate supply of Peyote cacti in its native habitat. They will also educate local families and farmers in Indigenous techniques for sustaining biodiversity in food production and forestry. 

To achieve these goals, Quetzalli has partnered with Ha Ta Tukari and Reserva Natural Rancho Los Ocotes charitable organizations.

Natural Rancho Los Ocotes member Jaina Andrea Novelo Guevara says the natural reserve believes Quetzalli’s life-enhancing agents encourage the symbiotic relationship between human beings and their natural environment, and therefore “it will be an honor to go hand in hand.” 

She explained that Los Ocotes is committed to regenerating the soil, air and water to increase the nutrition and vitality of all living beings and “maintaining human progress in a sustainable inclusive community towards a bioethical evolution.” 

Founder of Isla Urbana and Ha Ta Tukari, Enrique Lomnitz said that he's been working with Indigenous communities in Mexico for over 12 years.

"Amongst these have been some of the most remarkable cultures of North America: the Raramuri with their ultra-long marathons, the Wixárika with their intricate ceremonies and pilgrimages to the peyote desert, the Mazatecs who first brought ‘magic mushrooms’ into modern western cultural awareness in the mid 1950s. These are all peoples who have maintained a centuries-long battle to keep their roots and cultures alive and thriving in the face of overwhelming pressures," Lomnitz said. "Today, these ancient lineages of Native Mexican plant medicine and sacred knowledge are under greater pressure than ever, threatened by ecological and cultural destruction, cartel violence, and crass commercialism.” 

For this reason, Lomnitz added, the work proposed by organizations like Quetzalli is of crucial importance. “In this historic moment, it is vital to support the cultural and spiritual resistance being waged by these last remaining guardians of the sacred Mesoamerican medicine traditions. Their loss would be an incalculable tragedy, their success a beam of hope for the spiritual renewal of all of the Americas.”

Quetzalli’s initial fundraising round is set to be completed by the end of end of Q4 2022 with construction of operational infrastructure set to begin shortly thereafter.

Photo by Priss Enri on Unsplash