We have lived in Tepoztlán, Morelos for many years and we are the founders:

Lourdes Alvarez Klein

I am 65 years old and have been living in Yolotlán for 4 years with my life partner, Jaime Vélez, and for now, also with our 30 year old son Julian. We are accompanied by Drala and Bacan, the guard dogs of this village.  

I am dedicated to healing, as a medical doctor, homeopath and acupuncturist. 

I have been practicing Shambhala Buddhism since 1981 and I am an instructor and teacher in this tradition.  

For the past 22 years, I have cultivated a relationship with the sacred spirit of fire through the Sacred Fire Community.

I am very interested in community processes and I am delighted that we have been able to manifest this project. I am excited to organize creative events that nurture community spirit and find the collective wisdom to create, solve problems or transform relationships.

I also enjoy dancing, yoga and chi kung, being in nature, cooking, decorating, reading, sewing.

Jaime Vélez Patiño

I was born in Antioquia, Colombia and arrived in Tepoztlán in 1978. I became a Mexican citizen in 1987. Although I have lived for periods in other parts of Mexico and the United States, I have always returned to Tepoztlán, which is my place.  

For some years I was a practitioner of Buddhism, which led me to find my way as a healer in the Huichol tradition and as a fire keeper in the Sacred Fire Community.  

I live in Yolotlán with my family: Lourdes my wife and Julián my son.

One of the things I am most grateful for right now is being able to be in this place, which is an open space and at the same time connected to the mountains. 

I have practiced chi kung and Colombian fencing for years, and I enjoy music, the sea and cooking with and for others.

Yolanda Corona

I am a professor and researcher at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana where I teach on the subject of childhood and culture.

I studied psychology, then philosophy and finally a PhD in ethno-history which has responded to understand my longing to know different cultures.  I do research on the relationship of children with nature and on the socialization of children through the arts in Bali.

I have been doing meditation for over 30 years and I am a teacher of meditation and Shambhala arts.    In the last few years I have also been doing Zhineng Qigong practices to improve my state of health.

I enjoy painting and writing.  My family consists of my husband Carlos, my daughter Sofia and a xoloitzcuintle dog named Bali.

In the village my house is a place I have shared with several people, since my daughter Sofia lives in Tulum and is not with me.

Erica Cohen

I am from New York City and have lived in Mexico for 40 years. The first 7 in Cuernavaca and the rest in Tepoztlán.

I have dedicated myself mainly to being a teacher, group facilitator and psychotherapist specializing in trauma.

At the same time, two spiritual paths are fundamental in my life: I am a Fire Keeper in the international community called Sacred Fire and a long-time practitioner and teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition.

I have a daughter, Analuz, who is 30 years old. She grew up in Tepoztlán and currently lives with her partner near Washington D.C.

I love to walk in our hills, work in my garden, write, paint, play the piano and walk with my little dog Choco, who will accompany me to live in Yolotlán.

Citlalli Peña 

I arrived in Tepoztlán 20 years ago and here I found my home and a more communitarian way of living. I discovered that this way of living is something that my being longed for and from there came the conviction that this is what we need in our world. That led me to co-found an alternative currency in Tepoztlán and to be part of Yolotlán. I have been a practitioner of Shambhala Buddhism for several years as well as other paths of consciousness related to indigenous wisdom and the sacred feminine. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

By profession I am a communicologist and I have dedicated myself to journalism and documentary scriptwriting. Currently I dedicate myself to my great love, which is plants. I have a plant, pot and arrangement store in Tepoztlán and I design and build gardens. I like to paint and make things with my hands and dance, especially in the community, that's why I organize a free dance group called Tepozdanza. I live in Amatlán with two cats and my dog, Capitán. I hope soon to be able to build my house in Yolotlán. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Salvador Espinosa Orozco

I have lived in Tepoztlan for many years and have resonated with the idea of sharing community life and living sustainably here.

I have a daughter, a son and a little granddaughter, whom I adore.

I am passionate about dancing, which is what I enjoy most in life.

My other passion is documentary filmmaking and it is my main dedication at the moment. The theme I develop has to do with the role of ancestral traditions in our world today, as I feel a heartfelt connection with indigenous people. I made an award-winning documentary about what the Huichol tradition brings and I am currently finishing one that explores how some indigenous traditions from Mexico and Tibet, and psychotherapy, can help heal the wound that exists in Mexico from the conquest, which is a project in which I synthesize what I have learned and traveled through in my life.

I am fascinated by music and have applied it in music therapy in groups for many years.

I was trained as an electronics engineer, specialized in acoustics, but I have always sought self-knowledge and deep understanding of reality. That led me to go from an Egyptian master, to the Gestalt school of Claudio Naranjo, to the teachings of the

Shambhala Buddhism, to the connection with the spirit of fire through the Sacred Fire Community and to meeting my teacher. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (Yundrung Bön Buddhist teacher from Tibet) 23 years ago.

I plan to live in Yolotlán in a house made with a lot of heart.