Wirikuta Desert Pilgrimage (Peyote) - Mexico
With Marakame Don Venado, Agder Iztacmitl (White Arrow) and Kate “Sunny” Ziesenheim, PA-C
April 15 - 19, 2026
You are invited to partake in an extraordinary excursion to the sacred land of the Wixarika people (Huichol), the Wirikuta desert. We are deeply honored to extend an invitation for you to join us for this excursion with our guide and medicine man (Marakame) Don Venado.
Yearly, the Wixarika community embarks on a ten-day pilgrimage to this sacred destination, retracing the footsteps of their ancestors. There, they collect precious medicine and make offerings for the health of their businesses, family, water, fire, earth, and the entirety of existence. This unique opportunity will enable you to forge a deeper connection with this sacred plant medicine, the spirits that surround us, and the rich cultural heritage of these land’s custodians.
WHAT TO EXPECT
- Wednesday, April 15 – Our journey starts at 3 pm at the airport of San Luis Potosi, Mexico where we will pick you up. We will depart for the Wirikuta desert where we will spend the night at a local hotel. Here we will meet our guide, Don Venado.
- Thursday, April 16 – We will make our way into the desert where we make an offering to the spirits followed by hikuri (peyote) hunting. That evening, we hold an all-night prayer ceremony in the desert.
- Friday, April 17 – On our way to Real de Catorce in the mountains, we will make a stop in the desert at the sacred altar of Kayumari (the blue deer spirit) to receive blessings from the Marakame.
- Saturday, April 18 – Walk to the Quemado mountain for a closing prayer, partaking of holy medicine along the way.
- Sunday, April 19 – We are making our way back to San Luis Potosi Airport.
The ceremony night will begin with individual introductions and cleanses with Grandfather Fire, Tatewari. Sacred chants and dance will be shared throughout the night. The traditional Wixarika instruments are a small ”canari” guitar and violin that are played together while our Marakame (spiritual guide), Don Venado, sings to the spirits of nature. We will give the opportunity at various times throughout the night for those who feel called to share their prayer songs to the medicine.
Though Don Venado’s native tongue is the language of his people, the Wixarika or Wirarika, he is among the select few fluent in Spanish. We will provide English translation throughout the ceremony and the entire excursion.
You will also experience a crystal healing (limpia). These crystal healings are suitable for anyone seeking balance, prosperity, harmony, and physical, mental, and emotional well-being. These healing sessions are relatively short, but the healing process continues after their completion. The limpia is performed using a Mouvieri, a tool composed of two feathers attached to a wooden stick. This tool can detect energy accumulations in the body and diagnose symptoms experienced in the present moment. The healing energy channeled through the Mouvieri infuses you with vitality and subsequently extracts disease materialized as negative energy in the form of small crystals removed from the body.
YOUR EXPERIENCE
It is not possible to guarantee what your experience will be like. However, these are some of the common results gained from these ceremonies.
About the Facilitators
Marakame Don Venado
Don Venado is a renowned medicine man (Marakame) of the Wixarika (Huichol) nation in Mexico. The Wixarika people are the custodians of a thousand-year-old tradition centered around the sacred medicine Peyote (Hikuri). Don Venado works with this plant medicine and possesses the unique ability to transmute diseases and negative energies within the body into crystals […]
Learn more about Marakame Don Venado
Agder Iztacmitl (White Arrow)
Agder Iztacmitl (White Arrow) is a sacred pipe (Canupa) carrier and Sun Dancer from Mexico. He has over 30 years of experience working with the Mazatec mushroom tradition and was initiated more than 25 years ago. His father was a medicine man before him, and Agder was introduced to the medicine path at the age […]
Learn more about Agder Iztacmitl (White Arrow)
Kate “Sunny” Ziesenheim, PA-C
Sunny is a certified physician assistant, combining her expertise in psychiatry and addiction medicine with over a decade of spiritual practices, including meditation, breathwork, Native American sweat lodges, and indigenous earth medicine ceremonies. Her work bridges ancient wisdom and modern healing, fostering personal growth and connection.
Learn more about Kate “Sunny” Ziesenheim, PA-C