Sacred Site Restoration & Land Protection
Protecting the Sacred Heart of the World
Preserving the World’s Sacred Balance
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is considered by the Kogi, Arhuaco, Wiwa, and Kankuamo peoples to be the Heart of the World—a sacred living system where every mountain, river, lagoon, forest, coastline, and ceremonial site plays an essential role in maintaining the balance of life on Earth.
Scattered throughout the Sierra Nevada are hundreds of sacred places connected by an ancient spiritual network known as the Black Line (Línea Negra). These sites are not only places of ceremony; they are living centers of memory, prayer, ecological knowledge, and spiritual responsibility. Together they form an interconnected system through which Indigenous spiritual authorities care for the wellbeing of nature, water, biodiversity, and humanity.
For centuries, many of these sacred territories were taken from Indigenous communities following Spanish colonization and later transferred into private ownership. Today, access to numerous ceremonial sites is restricted, damaged, or threatened by agriculture, urban expansion, tourism, mining, infrastructure development, and environmental degradation.
For the Indigenous peoples of the Sierra Nevada, restoring these sacred places is far more than recovering land ownership. It is about restoring humanity’s relationship with nature, protecting the sources of life, and preserving an ancient system of environmental stewardship that has endured for thousands of years.
Saving the Sacred Heart of the Planet
Safeguarding Nature’s Sacred Center
Through the guidance of the Elder Mamos, efforts are underway to recover, protect, and care for these ancestral territories so that traditional ceremonies, ecological restoration, and cultural practices can continue for future generations.
Through this project, we support:
* Acquisition, protection, and long-term conservation of sacred Indigenous territories.
* Restoration of degraded sacred sites and surrounding ecosystems.
* Securing permanent access to ancestral ceremonial locations for Indigenous communities.
* Traditional ceremonies and spiritual work led by Elder Mamos to restore natural balance.
* Protection of rivers, forests, wetlands, mountains, coastal ecosystems, and biodiversity connected to sacred landscapes.
* Community-led stewardship and long-term management of protected sacred territories.
* Preservation of cultural heritage, ancestral knowledge, and sacred traditions for future generations.
* Acquisition, protection, and long-term conservation of sacred Indigenous territories.
* Restoration of degraded sacred sites and surrounding ecosystems.
* Securing permanent access to ancestral ceremonial locations for Indigenous communities.
* Traditional ceremonies and spiritual work led by Elder Mamos to restore natural balance.
* Protection of rivers, forests, wetlands, mountains, coastal ecosystems, and biodiversity connected to sacred landscapes.
* Community-led stewardship and long-term management of protected sacred territories.
* Preservation of cultural heritage, ancestral knowledge, and sacred traditions for future generations.
Every protected sacred site safeguards far more than a piece of land. It protects ancient knowledge, living culture, endangered ecosystems, freshwater sources, and one of humanity’s oldest continuous traditions of caring for the natural world.
By supporting this project, you help preserve the spiritual and ecological foundations of the Heart of the World, ensuring that these sacred places remain protected for generations to come.
Protect the sacred lands that protect us all.
A Historic Victory for Nature
In 2026 Colombia officially protected more than 1.5 million hectares of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta through Resolution 0663.
This represents one of the most important conservation victories in recent years.