LIMA, Peru (AP) — A group of shamans gathered Monday along the coast in Lima’s Miraflores district to carry out their annual ritual, making predictions for the year ahead.
Clad in traditional Andean ponchos and headdresses, the shamans performed ceremonies aimed at foreseeing developments in international relations, ongoing conflicts, and the futures of global leaders.
During this year’s ritual, the group predicted that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro would be removed from office and said that global conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, are likely to continue. “We have asked for Maduro to leave, to retire, for President Donald Trump of the United States to be able to remove him, and we have visualized that next year this will happen,” said shaman Ana María Simeón. The group’s track record for predictions has been mixed.
Last year, they warned of a potential “nuclear war” between Israel and Gaza, although a ceasefire is now in place. However, in December 2023, the shamans correctly foresaw that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, imprisoned for human rights abuses, would pass away within twelve months. Fujimori died from cancer in September 2024 at the age of 86.
Before Monday’s ceremony, the shamans drank hallucinogenic beverages made from native plants, including Ayahuasca and the San Pedro cactus, believed to enhance their ability to see the future. At La Herradura beach, they laid out blankets adorned with yellow flowers, coca leaves, swords, and other ritual items, calling for positive energy for the coming year.
The ceremony included circle dances, ancestral music, and prayers for peace in the Middle East, an end to the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and the fall of President Maduro. Through these rituals, accompanied by incense and symbolic offerings, the shamans hope to encourage leaders to make wise decisions.
They also predicted natural disasters, including earthquakes and other climatic events, as part of their annual visions for the year ahead.
