María Sabina was a renowned Mazatec curandera (healer) and shaman from the Sierra Mazateca of southern Mexico. Born in 1894 in the village of Huautla de Jiménez, she became famous for her use of psilocybin mushrooms, known as "holy mushrooms" or "magic mushrooms," in traditional spiritual and healing ceremonies.

Sabina remained relatively unknown outside her community until the 1950s when American ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson visited her. Wasson participated in a velada and subsequently published an article in Life magazine in 1957, bringing international attention to María Sabina and her practices.

She continued her work as a curandera until her death on November 22, 1985. Despite the controversies, she is remembered as a significant figure in the history of ethnobotany and psychedelic research.

Her legacy persists in the fields of anthropology, ethnobotany, and the modern interest in psychedelics for therapeutic use. Her life and work have inspired numerous books, documentaries, and scholarly studies.

Sabina's story is a testament to the rich cultural traditions of the Mazatec people and the complex interactions between indigenous knowledge and modern scientific interest.

“Get smarter every day by listening to your intuition, looking at the world with the eye of your forehead.

Jump, dance, sing, so that you live happier.

Heal yourself, with beautiful love, and always remember: you are the medicine.”

~Maria Sabina