The Church of the Eagle and the Condor was birthed into existence in 2018. The creation of the Church and its continued evolution are the result of ceremonial work and Divine guidance, in alignment with the Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor.

The Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor has been told among many communities of North, Central, and South America and there are several versions. In a version rooted in the Incan tradition, the prophecy first speaks of a diaspora of Indigenous peoples who, in the distant past, separated into two paths: that of the Eagle and that of the Condor. The Way of the Eagle is often understood as the path of the mind, materialism, science, and technology. The Eagle Path is embodied in “Western” culture and the European colonization of the Americas and many parts of the world. The Path of the Condor is often understood as the path of emotion, spirit, nature, community, and intuition. The Condor Path is embodied in Indigenous culture and people who continue to resist colonialism by protecting their land and preserving their traditions, languages, and ceremonies. 

According to the Prophecy told between the years 1492 to 1522 C.E., after the 4th “Pachakuti” (“the turning of the land/soil” in the Andean Quechua language), there would be a period of 500 years during which the world would fall into discord due to an excessive emphasis on mind, intellect, industry, and a neglect of heart, intuition, and compassion.

In that following era, approximately from 1522 – 1992 C.E., the descendants of the Way of the Eagle caused great wounds of injustice to the descendants of the Path of the Condor, through colonization and resultant genocide, forced assimilation, war, displacement, disease, and slavery. This separation from the heart and quest for domination brought great destruction to the Earth and its people. 

The 5th Pachakuti occurred from 1992-2022. During this period according to the Prophecy, the Way of the Eagle (the path of the mind) would be humbled by the discord and would seek help from the Way of the Condor (the path of the heart). Those of the Way of the Condor, still grieving their losses and in many cases still resentful, would be asked again to commune with those of the Eagle Path for the sake of the world. The Prophecy states that in this current era, the opportunity would arise for the peoples of that ancient diaspora to reunite in service of humanity and usher in an era of harmony, compassion and peace.

We are happy to introduce our team of spiritual leaders and teachers.
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Joe Tafur

President, Co-Treasurer, Co-Founder

Joe Tafur, M.D., is a Colombian-American integrative physician originally from Phoenix, Arizona. After completing his family medicine training at UCLA in 2006, Joe spent two years in academic research at the UCSD Department of Psychiatry in a lab focused on mind-body medicine.
Dr. Tafur’s medical practice currently involves integrative medicine and psychedelic therapy. In addition to his medical work in the United States, Joe co-founded and 

​co-managed the spiritual retreat center Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual in Peru from 2010-2017. 
​Joe is also an international author, educator, and is co-founder of the nonprofit Modern Spirit, Inc. dedicated to demonstrating the value of spiritual healing in modern healthcare. He is Ayahuasquero for the Church of the Eagle and the Condor, and founding member of the Church. 

Maritza Tafur

Vice President

Maritza Montiel Tafur is a 5th generation, Mexican-American, Arizona native. She is a  board certified pediatric occupational therapist who works with disabled and neurodiverse children to support play, social, and educational participation.

​Maritza obtained a B.A. in religious studies from Northern Arizona University (1999) and specialized in Mesoamerican pictorial manuscripts (codices). She has studied curanderismo and the tonalpohualli with artists, healers, and scholars throughout Mexico and the United States. 

Maritza published a review of curanderismo and healing practices among Mexicans and Mexican Americans (2009) and Intergenerational Mexican American research: The Transformative Model of Occupational Therapy (2024). She applies decolonized healthcare practices informed by Xican@ and Indigenous perspectives. Maritza received a master’s in occupational therapy (MOT) from the University of New Mexico (2006) and an occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) from the University of Utah (2023). Maritza is an iconographic painter who taught and danced flamenco professionally throughout the Southwest. She currently resides in Phoenix with her husband and 2 children.​

Belinda Eriacho

 Co-Founder, Board Member

Belinda is of Dine’ (Navajo) and A:shiwi (Pueblo of Zuni) descent. Her clans are One-Who-Walks-Around and she was born for the Zuni Pueblo people. Her maternal grandparents are from the Black Sheep and her paternal grandparents are from the Zuni Pueble people.  

Belinda was born and raised on the Navajo reservation, located in Arizona. She is the educator, healer, writer, and founder of Kaalogii LLC, focused on cultural and traditional teaching, inner healing, and an international speaker on various topics impacting Native American communities in the United States. 

As a retired professional she has more than 26 years of professional experience in the fields of community health, environmental, health, safety, occupational health, and risk management.  In addition, she has a wealth of experience with non-profit boards in the areas of family health, education, spirituality, and utilities. Belinda holds degrees in Health Sciences, Public Health, and Technology. She is a Diné Wisdom Carrier and a founding member of the Church of the Eagle and the Condor.

Scott Wasserman

Treasurer

 Scott is a native New Yorker who attended medical school in Tel Aviv, Israel before completing his internal medicine residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY. Scott migrated to Arizona in the mid 90’s where his medical career began in emergency medicine before evolving to a private practice specializing in integrative medicine and overall mind-body health. After a fulfilling medical career spanning over 20 years. Scott transitioned into the business world as an entrepreneur in the beauty space. 

Scott’s trajectory in life has been heavily informed by his own struggles with addiction as well as his ongoing journey of personal growth and healing. Much of his expanded self- awareness and transformation he attributes to the healing properties of plant medicine as well as the nurturing support and connection of the larger psychedelic community. As a CEC board member Scott is focused on contributing his extensive health and business experience to the continued growth and establishment of the CEC so that it may better serve its members as well as the greater community. 

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Sandra Nogueira-Lopez 

Co-Secretary, Board Member

Sandra was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in a family of 13 brothers and sisters.  Her family migrated to the United States in 1984 where she met the love of her life, her husband Carlos. They had 3 beautiful children.

​After her mother passed away in 2005, Sandra’s life changed, reconnecting to the spiritual realm that was always within her but not manifested so clearly. In 2007 she became a Reiki Master and Minister. She then met an Apache Grandpa who guided her on this spiritual journey and began teaching her the walk of the Red Path. Sandra is a Moon Dancer and a Peace Dancer, always praying to the Great Spirit for guidance to help others and heal. ​

She has been working with Mother Ayahuasca for over 14 years and she has sat in diets in the Amazon.  Sandra is a Certified Kambo Practitioner. Aside from her spiritual life, Sandra is a Vice-President of an Engineering-Construction Company.  She has also worked with hospice patients giving spiritual support and then with Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) for Palm Beach County. Her path is to continue learning to love and enjoy everything that is in this life without holding past baggage.

Dilenia Chireno

Co-Secretary, Board Member

Dilenia is a first-generation immigrant born in the Dominican Republic and relocated to Arizona after living many years in the Northeast. She holds a BS, an MBA and is currently working on a MS in Clinical Herbal Medicine. She spent most of her career in various Marketing roles and currently works in Business Development. She worked for various non-profit organizations, is a member of the Latin American Business Network, and an ally to the African American Excellence Business Group, LGBTQ+ rights group, the Standing Rock Sioux reservation and other Native Nations. ​

She’s also an advocate for environmental justice and responsibility. In her spiritual life, Dilenia has studied and practiced Gnosis since her early 20’s. Over time, this introduced her to vast wisdom of indigenous spiritual practices and culture, which led her to deeply healing experiences with master plants, including Ayahuasca and Huachuma. She looks to continue her path of spiritual development and support those around her as they develop in their own paths.

Ricardo Amaringo 

Board Member

Ricardo Amaringo is a spiritual leader and teacher of ancestral Shipibo medicine; “Sani” is his name in Shipibo. He is 58 years old and was born in the Vista Alegre Indigenous community of Masisea, Alto Ucayali. His was first initiated into his path as an ayahuasquero at 14 years old. By 17 years old he was participating in ceremony regularly. Before this great step in his life, he did not believe in the power of spiritual healing.

For more than 15 years, Ricardo Amaringo has led and managed the healing center Nihue Rao Spiritual Center, located on the outskirts of the city of Iquitos, in the Nanay River basin, where he provides dedicated care and spiritual healing sercvices to national and international guests.
 
He has decades of experience since his initiation into the world of ancestral knowledge of traditional medicine and the practice of Shipibo curanderismo. In 2023, in further expansion of his humanitarian efforts for his local community, Ricardo founded ADEPIAP (Asociación de Desarrollo para los Pueblos Indigenas de la Amazonia Peruana/Association for the Development of Indigenous Communities of the Peruvian Amazon), a Shipibo run nonprofit organization based in Iquitos, Peru. ADEPIAP is dedicated to supporting projects that will improve the living conditions of disadvantaged communities in the Peruvian Amazon.

Josie Begay-James

Advisor

Josie Begay-James is a Diné (Navajo) elder who retired after 34 years of service as a High School Counselor and K-12 Teacher. She is fluent in Navajo language and knowledgeable about Diné cultural customs and teachings. She helped develop cultural school curriculums for K-12 school districts in Arizona, taught Diné Language, and Diné History and Government.

​Josie comes from a traditional background and is married to a traditional Diné Medicine man. She has three children and four grandchildren. She was raised on and off the Navajo Reservation and attended Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Schools, State Public Schools, and Northern Arizona University. She earned a BS Degree in Education and a master’s degree in Counseling.

Policarpo Sanchez​

Advisor

Policarpo is a member of the Shipibo community, Indigenous to the Peruvian Amazon. He has advanced education in communications and forestry science. He has over 35 years of experience as an intercultural facilitator and Indigenous communicator in local development projects, having worked in both the public and private sectors. He is specialized in developing methodologies promoting  participation of Indigenous communities with a focus on intercultural, socio-environmental, and environmental integration.

Drawing upon his experience supporting Indigenous communities with technical support and project development, since May of 2024, he has served as the Project Manager of Intercultural Processes and Project Development at  ADEPIAP (Asociación de Desarrollo para los Pueblos Indigenas de la Amazonia Peruana/Association for the Development of Indigenous Communities of the Peruvian Amazon), a Shipibo run nonprofit organization based in Iquitos, Peru.

Martha Hartney

Advisor

Martha J. Hartney is a private practice attorney in Colorado and has advised the Church of the Eagle and the Condor since 2019. She has a J.D. from the University of Denver College of Law. Her firm, Hartney Law, is a Boulder favorite, receiving the “Best of the West/Law Firm” award six times. She was named a SuperLawyers Rising Star in 2020 and has published and presented on the art and science of death and dying for more than a decade. Martha is a certified death doula and the first attorney to be admitted to and graduate from the CIIS Certificate in Psychedelic Therapies and Research program. 

Martha is also a mediator and has served as a guardian ad litem. 

She found plant medicines later in life—becoming a drug policy reform advocate after experiencing profound spiritual healing through our plant teachers. She champions the religious use of ayahuasca; and advocates for excellent standards of care, best practices, integration work, and weaving of modern trauma science with the powerful indigenous practices being stewarded into the western world. Martha lives with her partner and has two grown sons. She is a member of Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants and the first steward of the Religious Use Subcommittee of the Psychedelic Bar Association. Her email is [email protected].

Naomi Tsosie
Wisdom Carrier - Diné

Naomi is Diné (Navajo) from Arizona.  Her maternal clan is Dibe łizhni (Black Sheep) and her paternal clan is Ta’neeszahnii (Tangle People).  Her maternal grandparents are Táchiínii (Red Running Into The Water Clan) and her paternal grandparents are Bit’ahnii (Folded Arms People).  She carries the wisdom of her ancestors and knows the importance of sacredness in our lives.  She has a close connection to all beings, as Crystal Grid Weaver she is deeply interwoven with the earth and its energy.  As a Storyteller and Song Keeper, she brings in the essence of life. She is a mother of three daughters and a grandmother of 10.  The focus of her work is for the next seven generations.