OUR LIFE IS A CEREMONY * SERVICE IS OUR MEDICINE
We live in the Sacred Valley of Peru, in the Andean district of San Salvador, 25 minutes from the
pueblo of Pisaq, at the base of Pachatusan—“The one that holds the world,” designated a National
Cultural Heritage site in 2009. Here, six hectares of rich, fertile soil are nourished by pure mountain
water. Our neighbors are the indigenous community of Huanca, and we are surrounded by ancient
apus—sacred mountains that have witnessed ceremonies, prayers, and sustainable living for
thousands of years.
This is sacred ground. Not because we declare it so, but because it has been held as such by the
Quechua people since time immemorial. We walk lightly here, with reverence for those who came
before and responsibility to those who will come after.
Ancient Apus is an intentional community, ecovillage, retreat center, and ashram dedicated to
sustainable living, spiritual practice, and service to indigenous communities. We are building
something rare in the modern world: a place where people live in harmony with the land, with each
other, and with the wisdom of traditional Andean culture.
We are not tourists. We are not colonizers. We are guests on this land, invited through nearly 17
years of continuous service by our nonprofit, Amistad Sagrada, which supports local Quechua
communities in education, health, and cultural preservation. This work is sacred reciprocity—
relationship built over years of consistent presence and care. Our vision holder, Sanan, has lived a
life of service in Pisaq since 2009. This deep, reciprocal relationship forms our foundation—not
as charity, but as mutual commitment.
Ancient Apus is co-created through four interconnected elements:
The Ecovillage: Our residential heart, where members live, grow food, raise families, and build
lasting relationships through permaculture, natural building, and shared community spaces.
Amistad Sagrada: Our service arm, honoring our commitment to indigenous neighbors
through education and cultural preservation.
The Mountain Sanctuary: A retreat center offering transformational healing, personal
awakening, and opportunities for meaningful service.
SanAshram: A spiritual practice hub where service, sustainability, and spirituality merge.
Together: a thriving ecosystem of service, healing, growth, and shared life.
Our way of life is rooted in:
Spiritual openness, honoring Andean cosmology while welcoming diverse paths
Conscious substance use, with plant medicines reserved for ceremonial contexts
Collaborative governance through sociocracy and consent-based decision-making
Relational depth, with direct communication and honest conflict resolution
Ecological regeneration via permaculture, renewable systems, and natural building
Multi-generational living, welcoming families, children, and elders
Community Land Trust stewardship, ensuring land is held in trust for future generations
Own your land, build your homestead, be part of a next-generation ecovillage in the Sacred Valley.
Shared infrastructure includes permaculture gardens, greenhouses, a healing temple, a school for
children, animal husbandry, a kitchen and dining temple, a natural medicine clinic, and more—
welcoming your unique path, diet, spirituality, and gifts.
We invite you to join us—those who believe another way of living is possible, where service and
growth, community and autonomy, spirituality and sustainability become one integrated life.
Ancient Apus calls to those seeking:
A life rooted in purpose and connection
Service to something larger than themselves
Sustainable living integrated with spiritual practice
Community that honors both autonomy and shared vision
Deep relationship with the earth and indigenous wisdom
This Vision Document is our invitation and our commitment. We are in our founding phase (2026),
developing land, infrastructure, and agreements. This is a rare opportunity to co-create culture and
build from the ground up.
Welcome to Ancient Apus—Rooted in the Sacred Valley, Growing in Service, Thriving in Community…Together.
WELCOME TO ANCIENT APUS
A New Chapter in a 17-Year Journey
After approaching 17 years of serving indigenous communities in Peru’s Sacred Valley through our nonprofit Amistad Sagrada, we’re ready to share the next evolution of this work:
Ancient Apus – A Revolutionary Ecovillage Built on Service
This isn’t just another intentional community. This is a completely integrated ecosystem:
Ancient Apus Ecovillage – Sustainable living in harmony with the land and Andean wisdom
The Mountain Sanctuary – A healing and transformation center where guests fund our nonprofit work
SanAshram & Volunteer Village – Service-based spiritual practice through karma yoga
Amistad Sagrada – Our 17-year foundation of continuous service to indigenous Quechua communities
How It All Works Together:
The Mountain Sanctuary retreat center creates sustainable income that funds BOTH our ecovillage community AND Amistad Sagrada’s service programs – schools, elder care, mountain community projects, and cultural preservation.
For the first time in 17 years, our service work will have sustainable funding.
No other intentional community that we know of has been built on this foundation. No other retreat center integrates healing and service this way. No other model proves that personal transformation and collective wellbeing are inseparable.
We’re building this in Peru’s Sacred Valley – 6 hectares of fertile land with pure mountain water, surrounded by sacred Andean peaks, woven into relationships with 12 indigenous mountain communities.
This is more than an ecovillage. This is a movement.
Over the coming posts, we’ll share the details of each element – what we’re building, how you can be part of it, and why this matters now.
Welcome to Ancient Apus.
Welcome to sacred friendship, sustainable living, healing, transformation, and service that ripples out to thousands.
Welcome home.
Please read our ground breaking Vision Document which clearly outlines this unique, evolutionary intentional community which is forming now in the Sacred Valley of the Peruvian Andes.
Discover how you can participate
There are many ways to be part of this. We welcome you.
Ancient Apus – Rooted in the Sacred Valley, Growing in Service, Thriving in Community
Ancient Apus Membership Process: Concise Overview
Stage 1: Initial Contact & Information
Reach out via email or website. Receive and thoroughly read the Vision Document. Reflect on alignment with your life and values—take as long as needed.
Stage 2: Application & Questionnaire
Submit a formal application, detailed questionnaire, bio, and references. The Membership Committee reviews for alignment and decides whether to proceed, request clarification, or decline (2–3 week review).
Stage 3: Video Interview
A 1–2 hour virtual meeting with the Membership Committee and possibly the Vision Holder. Discuss background, motivations, expectations, and logistics. Outcome: invitation to visit, further dialogue, or decline (scheduled within 2–4 weeks of approval).
Stage 4: In-Person Visit (1–4 weeks)
Mandatory immersive stay. Participate in daily life: work (20–30 hours), meals, meetings, and social activities. Experience rural living, community dynamics, and service work. Community assesses work ethic, communication, values, and fit. Applicants evaluate long-term compatibility.
Stage 5: Community Discernment
After the visit, the community shares feedback and discusses fit. A full community meeting reviews the application (applicant absent). Decision made by Vision Holder (Phase 1) or sociocratic consent process (Phase 3) within 2–4 weeks.
Stage 6: Decision & Integration
If Approved: Receive formal acceptance. Sign Membership Agreement and legal/financial documents. Purchase land ($144/m², payment plans available). Assigned a mentor; integration support provided over first year.
If Declined: Receive respectful, honest feedback. A “no” reflects misalignment or timing, not personal failure; reapplication may be possible later.
Key Criteria:
Vision alignment, realistic expectations, emotional maturity, work ethic, financial capacity, commitment to substance policy, service orientation, long-term readiness, family unity (if applicable), resilience, and humility.
Timeline: Typically 3–6 months from contact to decision.
Core Principle: Honesty is sacred—authentic alignment is essential.
First we ask people to follow our Page, read the posts, and fully read the Vision Document for Ancient Apus. Then we will schedule a zoom call or a live meeting here in Peru. If there is continued interest we will schedule a visit to the land. Depending on what stage the new member is entering, at that time they would meet current or prospective members as well. The intake process and application are both included in the Ancient Apus Vision Document.
One person or partnership has ultimate authority.
Decisions proceed unless someone has a reasoned objection.
Organized in circles or domains with distributed authority.
The vision holder, Sanan, only has the final say in decisions for a clearly defined initial phase of the formation of the community. This will transition into full Sociocracy according to clearly outlined milestones and timelines. It is a very temporary phase, only to insure that in the initial formation and growth of Ancient Apus the key tenets and goals of the community are adhered to. Once the milestones and timelines that are clearly communicated upfront in the Ancient Apus Vision Document are completed, the transition to full implementation of Sociocracy happens.
Members contribute a percentage of income to community funds.
Join fee: Yes
Regular fees: $100
Labor: Yes (10 hrs/week)
The buy in cost to enter Ancient Apus is through the purchase of a personal or family’s plot of land, on which they will build their homestead. The cost of the land is $144 per Square Meter. What is received, beyond titled ownership of their parcel of land is clearly outlined in the Ancient Apus Vision Document. It includes full membership in Ancient Apus, access to shared infrastructure, decision making, and income sharing.
Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Hot tub or hot springs, Outdoor Kitchen, Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Stage or Auditorium, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Gym or sports area, Internet
Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.
Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace
A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).
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