CHINCHILEJO Foundation (EIN: 93-2687815)
Reconstructing Ancestral Memory, Weaving Collective Future
Initiated in 2022, this project addresses the urgent need to strengthen local community resilience through recovering traditional knowledge, implementing sustainable technologies, and creating spaces for intercultural dialogue. Aligned with the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—particularly quality education, climate action, reduced inequalities, and life on land—it revives a sacred Caribbean ceremony lost for 500 years.
Through scientific studies of human genealogy, tracing pre-Columbian migrations, and mapping the domestication journey of plants like cassava and pineapple linked to Caguana, our research led us to the Amazon. Millennial indigenous communities still preserve this ceremony through oral history, documented by anthropologists and historians. We collaborate with Amazonian indigenous communities (Peru, Colombia, Brazil) to reconstruct rituals bridging spiritual and material worlds, strengthening identities through intercultural dialogue.
Culture serves as a vital connector between communities, essential for societal progress and security. Protecting cultural foundations fosters freedom and drives sustainable development locally and globally. Preserving cultural heritage fortifies our bonds and ensures continuous community growth. This project offers reconnection with identity and catalyzes economic, social, and environmental development through culturally-rooted ecotourism.
Transformative Benefits
- Cultural Revitalization: Restoring ceremonies that reconnect communities with ancestral identity and physical/spiritual healing practices.
- Sustainable Economic Development: Generating income through cultural tourism, traditional crafts, and community festivals.
- Environmental Protection: Integrating indigenous practices with modern science to conserve critical ecosystems (Pacaya Samiria Reserve, Ucayali, Ampiyacu Regional Reserve).
- Global Knowledge Networks: Exchanging wisdom among the native communities (Kukama, Matsé, Yagua), universities, and governments.
Core Objectives
- Reconstruct the complete ceremony through ethnographic research with indigenous communities.
- Establish cultural centers in Puerto Rico and the Amazon for ceremonial practices.
- Document ancestral knowledge in native languages.
- Create new income sources through sustainable tourism.
- Implement science and tradition-based environmental practices.
- Foster intercultural dialogue spaces for research and education.
Why Now: Cultural Emergency
- Endangered Heritage: Traditions eroded after 500 years require immediate rescue.
- Multidimensional Impact: Socioeconomic revitalization (tourism, jobs) and environmental stewardship (sustainable techniques).
- SDG Alignment:
- Quality education via community workshops (SDG 4)
- Reduced inequalities through local economies (SDG 10)
- Terrestrial ecosystem conservation (SDG 15)
- Caribbean-Amazon Connection: Restoring historical ties via technological/cultural exchange.
Key Details
Our Amazon initiative directly supports SDG priorities. This project addresses the urgent need to strengthen local community resilience by recovering traditional knowledge systems, implementing sustainable technologies, and creating spaces for intercultural dialogue.
| ACTION | IMPACT |
|---|---|
| Research | Recording oral histories/ceremonies with Yagua, Uitoto, Bora communities |
| Partnerships | Collaboration with universities and local governments |
| Logistics | River transport (Amazon/Marañón/Ucayali/Ampiyacu), lodging in longhouses |
| Outcomes | Economic revitalization through cultural tourism |
Your Donation Resurrects Memory!
We work in:
- 🌿 Peruvian Amazon (Pacaya Samiria, Ucayali) with Kukama and Matsé communities
- 🌎 Colombia-Brazil border with Tikuna-Uitoto peoples
- 🛶 Ampiyacu-Apayacu (Peru) with Yagua, Bora, and Ocaina communities
The reconstruction of the Caguana ceremony in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean delivers significant cultural, social, and economic impact. This initiative establishes a new foundation for culturally rooted ecotourism development throughout the region. It serves as a catalyst for:
- Community-driven festivals and workshops
- Cross-border economic and cultural exchanges
- Locally meaningful activities at municipal, regional, and national levels
The project facilitates international knowledge and technology transfer through partnerships with:
- Government agencies
- Academic institutions
- Scientific research organizations
It further enables institutional exchanges in agriculture, commerce, and cultural sectors while promoting traditional environmental practices that drive sustainable development.
Your contribution to EIN 93-2687815 covers:
✈️ Remote transportation (canoes, moto-taxis, planes, guides, small boats)
🏡 Lodging in indigenous longhouses during fieldwork
📚 Urgent documentation of ancestral knowledge
🤝 Support for collaborating communities
Gallery
Join the Ceremony of Rebirth
As a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) organization, your donation is tax-deductible.
🔗 Donate securely: https://chinchilejo.org
✉️ Experience it live: Travel with us: info@chinchilejo.org
“This ceremony isn’t nostalgia—it’s a compass for survival. Reviving it means sowing our future from our past.”
CHINCHILEJO Foundation
EIN: 93-2687815
Weaving Identity, Healing the Earth
Invest in this harvest of memory: Your donation rebuilds cultural bridges broken five centuries ago.