Jorge Guadarrama

There are in fact two persons by the name of Jorge Guadarrama – Jorge Senior, born 1945, aka Jorge Nopaltzin, and Jorge Junior, born 1975, aka Kokopelli Guadarrama. The elder Guadarrama seems to have been part of one of Antonio Gomora's dance groups which brought him to Europe where he later on started his own business with his son.

Although they pose as Aztecs and perform so-called Aztec dances, the Guadarrama's real ethnic affiliation is unknown. The Senior claims to have been schooled in a traditional Aztec „Teocalli“, while both Guadarramas not only perform dances, but also sweatlodges, healings, and offer services as an alleged shaman.

Biographical Information vs. Claims

There is only little factual information available for both Guadarrama Sr and Jr, apart from the respective year they were born. Guadarrama Sr gets portrayed as a "spiritual healer, wisdom teacher, musician", and the same professions are ascribed to his son. Guadarrama Sr is said to have been "... taught by Teocally, one of the traditional schools of the Aztecs". Apart from the faulty spelling, the term "teocalli" translates as "House of God" and therefore means a temple, in particular one built on top of a pyramid. Other sites mention Guadarrama Sr was born in Mexico City and "works as a shaman and teacher. His ancient wisdom has been passed on from generation to generation". The description "Nopaltzin knows what it's like to have nothing and offers valuable lessons on this experience" may appropriately sum up his early background, while the claims following: "A large part of his income from workshops, counsellations, and the sales of beautiful jewelry goes to orphanages in Mexico which have little" can in no way be verified and probably are no more than a sales pitch to promote himself.

Guadarrama Jr additionally is portrayed as having studied both anthropology and history which cannot be verified online. Another website maintained by the younger Guadarrama claims he studied at the National Institute of Anthropology and History which happens to be the same institution claimed by Antonio Gomora aka Xokonoschtletl. On the other hand, he has been touring various European countries with their dance show and offering seminars and workshops for a substantial number of years. He is also said to be a co-founder of the Guadarrama's alleged non-profit association founded in 1999. On one of his own websites, Guadarrama Jr claims to be a "social anthropologist" - a term not in use in German language - and an "ethno-physician".

Guadarrama's site also mentions he spent his childhood living with the Yaqui and later on "... lived with many different indigenous communities of the continent and learnt their habits and dialects, he was in the south of Mexico with the Lacandons, in western Sierra Madre with the Coras, Tepehuanos and Huicholes or Wirraritari. In 1999, Kokopelli finishes his course of studies at the National School of Anthropology and History. At the age of 24, he began to work for the Museum of Anthropology and History and other cultural institutions." As Guadarrama was born in 1975, he thus says to have finished a course of studies at age 25, while in the next sentence, he contends to have started work for a museum and other institutions one year before finishing his studies, at the age of 24, i.e. in 1998. Further peculiarities are his choice of terms such as dialect instead of language and habits instead of culture, and, with the exception of one indigenous nation, of giving the Spanish versions of the names of indigenous ethnicities instead of the names these peoples give themselves. This does not only speak against his alleged education in anthropology, but far more against his being acculturated in any indigenous culture and nation.

Guadarrama Sr is married to a Belgian citizen and has taken up residence in Belgium, while Guadarrama Jr is married to a Swiss citizen and is living in Switzerland.

European Activities

The Guadarramas tour various European countries performing dances at events,but also at Newage congresses. They further sell seminars and workshops on alleged Aztec healing methods. The younger Guadarrama also sells obsidian massages, honey massages, as well as shamanic courses; various European plastic shamans claim to have been taught by him. He is also listed as a lecturer at Ethno-Med Institute. Another activity they apparently do not offer any longer was a tipi camp in Germany aimed at children as an audience, the last camp documented took place in 2010; however, Guadarrama Sr still seems to be organising such camps in the Netherlands. The use of tipis is quite noteworthy, as this is a type of housing never used traditionally in Mexico but in the North American Plains. They will also most probably lack knowledge as to Plains cultures which they thus were not in a position to give any insights on for their audience. Apparently, they employed the tipis as something stereotypically indigenous and thus contributed to the confirmation of stereotypical concepts on indigenous peoples in Europe.

Participation in Newage Fairs and Congresses

The Guadarramas have participated in several Newage congresses over the past years where they did not only perform dances, but also offered workshops, symposions etc.

One example are the Basel Psi Days in November 2006 where they seem to have done Aura Cleansings and massages with crystals and stones. Aura cleansings are not part of indigenous American spiritual traditions but indicate that the Guadarramas include items to appeal to a Newage clientele. Other established Newage proponents present at this particular congress were Fabio Ramirez (e.g. ethno-medicine, homoeopathy, Ayurveda), J. Reuben Silverbird, Hendrik Treugut, and Harald Wiesendanger.

Another congress for which Guadarrama Jr was booked was the "Lebenskraft" 2012 in Zurich, where he offered a workshop. The congress covered issues as e.g. shamanic healing journey, family constellation, remote viewing, sacred geometry and crop circles, MerKaBa, 2012, Russian and Kabbala healing methods, quantum intelligence and many more. At this event, Guadarrama Jr additionally participated in a "Shaman Symposium" along with Jens Lyberth aka Angaangaq and others.

The Guadarramas will also appear at the so-called "World Congress 2014", October 31 - November 2, 2014 which will be organised in the premises of the Medical School at Munich University. The event is organised annually by the "Institut InfoMed - Institute for Holistic Medicine", formerly Institut EthnoMed; despite their name suggesting to be part of a university, they are a private-owned company. Among the lecturers presented at the 2014 event are persons well established in the Newage environment, such as Pablo Russell, a Blackfoot from Canada, Phillip Scott who claims to be Cherokee but sells Lakota ceremonies, Fabio Ramirez, Sabina Tschudi aka Sabina Crystal Cave Dreamer who is a member of Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society, runs her own "Lodge" offering seminars and also does seminars at the premises of ZEGG, Wolf Dieter Storl etc. One of the lecturers is the German citizen Ute Fechter who will offer a lecture on "the Naskas" [sic] whom she calls "the Pre-Inkas". On her own website, Fechter claims to have been taught by Guadarrama Jr.

Guadarrama Jr will also participate in a "Shamans' and Healers' Festival 2014" on September 13/14, organised by the Shamanic School run by the aforementioned Ute Fechter.

Guadarram Sr recently seems more active in the Netherlands and Belgium. He e.g. participated in a seven-day event of sharing and healing with shaman wisdom teachers in 2013.

Non-profit Association "Nopalli e.V." / Nopalli A.C.

According to Guadarrama's description, there is a Mexican Institute Nopalli A.C. situated in Mexico, and a non-profit Nopalli in Europe. The Institutes are explained as "Institute to promote the dissemnination of Aztec culture [...] and is a registered non-profit association in Mexico which aims at supporting Mexican children in order to give them a better future. The exonomic situation in Mexico unfortunately is so bad that many children have to work to contribute to the family income. This is particularly true for children from so-called indigenous peoples whose parents receive particularly low wages. Parents also cannot afford to pay for textbooks, exercise books, bus fares to school, and the compulsory school uniforn. So the children stay at home resp. start work at kindergarten age. A sound education would help these children to break out of the vicious circle of poverty and to bring about a better future for their families. NOPALLI A.C. sees it as its task to show people in Europe something of their wonderful culture and thus work against their ancient wisdom slipping into oblivion. We therefore ask your financial support for the children of Mexico".

Some websites mention the Institute was founded in 1999, while one of Guadarrama's sites place the foundation of the institute in 2000. The younger Guadarrama also says he was the organisation's president as well as of its European support association.

An older entry at the site of Basler Psi Verein provides far more detail about the aims of the association, apparently copying a promotional text from a website maintained by the Guadarramas. This text claims the institute had bought a parcel of land with donated monies in Mexico-City and now planned to build a school for street children, even boasting a promise of support from then president Vicente Fox. Another project the Guadarramas were asking donations for was support for rural schools in the vicinity of Mexico-City which were vastly underfunded, claiming some schools had approached them for funding and/or material support. The BPV site also provides an e-mail address and a URL for further information, apparently also copied from an existing site maintained by the Guadarramas. The URL given is www.nopalli.org, but following this link will take interested parties to the site of a Mexican company selling machines to peel and chop up prickly pears.

None of the sites kept by the Guadarramas presently (2014) mention any such projects as outlined by the BPV 2006 entry. There is no website available for the Mexico-based Nopalli A.C.; the site maintained by Guadarrama Sr has been emptied and provides no information whatsoever. What can be verified is the registry of a "Nopalli Instituto para la difusion de la cultura Azteca" in February 2001. There is also no further information available regarding the Guadarramas' alleged school project, nor regarding any existing schools they support with donations received, nor regarding any children they may have supported.

Shamanic Activities

The Guadarramas also sell seminars, workshops, indigenous ceremonies, and healings, either in cooperation or on their own. They also include non-indigenous practices like aura cleansing.

Among the indigenous ceremonies sold are sweatlodges, also called Temazcalli by them. The temazcalli seems indeed to be rooted in several traditional central American cultures, however, it does not seem to have a similar spiritual meaning as it has with several Northern American indigenous nations. Charging money for such ceremonies is viewed as inapproriate by these nations. Sweatlodges form a stable among Guadarrama's offers, and he charges e.g. CHF 140.00 for a sweatlodge seminar. He promotes the sweatlodge as a healing method for various diseases:
"... it supports blood circulation and blood flow; wastes, poisonous and noxious substances will be reduced; it relaxes the body after hard physical work; it releases tension in the body; particularly relaxing in case of headaches and other pains; it boosts the body's defences, helps with stomach and intestinal problems; cleanses the stomach and speeds up digestion; supports the liver; helps women to regain strength after having given birth; relaxes sinews and joints; balances the body's salt metabolism; superfluous air will leave the body (too much air in the body will effect circulation and inner balance in its understanding); the herbs revive the senses; supports the life energies."
Some of these claims reflect issues popular in Newage and alt-med environments, like the alleged detoxification; others are plain nonsense, like the relaxation of sinews and joints, while still others are desinformation, like the alleged balancing of a salt metabolism through sweating. At least one of the claims made is ridiculous and provokes laughter: the alleged reduction of superfluous air.

Guadarrama Jr also organises seminars and workshops on a regular basis, e.g. "Shamanism in present-day times" consisting of two blocks, the second of which aims at implementing the contents taught in block 1 "into therapeutic work" and therefore is meant for participants planning to become active as shamans themselves. Others are titled "Aztec cleansing", "Ollin Obsidian Massage", "Shamanic Drumming".

Guadarrama Sr also offers a two-day seminar on "Deep Healing" and "Work with your Shadow". He also conducts a tipi camp for children in the Netherlands in 2014 which gets advertised as a "... place where your child can act out themselves in nature, can be creative..." and will be available for "personal consultations", with a hotstone massage of 75 minutes charged with € 70, and a 15-minute healing charged with € 25. Guadarrama Sr also participated in a "shamanic exchange of experience" organised by an event centre in Drenthe, with several persons well established in the Newage environment, as e.g. Dancing Thunder (an alleged Susquehannock - the nation ceased to exist some 200 years ago - and never had their residence in Florida, as he claims), Wai Turoa Morgan (a Maori touring the European Newage circuit), and several others.

Tour operator

Guadarrama Jr also uses one of his websites to offer clients a 20-day trip through Mexico. Most of the programme covers the usual tourist attractions, but a sweatlodge and a meditation are also offered. The amount charged for the 20-day tour is said to be 3.800, with no currency mentioned, but probably in Swiss Franks, thus amounting to € 3,114 or US$ 4,302 respectively. However, the price explicitely excludes the plane ticket from Switzerland to Mexico, an inland flight between Cancun and Mexico-City, and all meals except for breakfast.