Céu do Mapiá

Céu do Mapiá was founded in 1983 by Sebastião Mota de Melo, a man revered for his loving guidance and spiritual wisdom. The community was granted a portion of the Amazon rainforest by the Brazilian Government to establish a self sustaining community with a strong forest preservation policy. It is a pilot program for a truly sustainable community.

Today, this highly diverse village of more than 700 residents is home to a mix of former city professionals, local farmers and river people. Located near the headwaters of the Puruse River and a Mapiá River tributary, this village is a two day boat ride from the nearest economic port, Rio Branca. There are no roads into the area.

Mapiá is the international mother community to the Santo Daime spiritual tradition. In keeping with the Doctrine of Santo Daime, the people of Mapi· are devoted to spiritual evolution, the service of humanity and the honor and preservation of nature. The residents of Mapi· serve not only their own community, but strive also to meet the basic health and survival needs of the local river and jungle people who suffer from a lack of economic and health care options. Poverty-stricken river and jungle dwellers often travel many miles to Mapiá to receive food, medical care, and schooling.

In a mere 23 years, the community of Mapiá has come to be considered a model of ecological development in the rainforest. Today it has more than 120 family houses, a church, a school, a nursery, a kitchen, a medical facility, a general warehouse, communal crafts workshops, administration offices, manioc flour manufacturing facilities and two bridges. There are also more than 50 nearby ranches growing fruit and vegetables (rice, beans, manioc, maize and bananas), 70 rubber trails, and a pasture for cattle.

FHFA provides funding for local projects in alignment with our mission of promoting greater public support for sustainable, consensual communities guided by ethics and values that put individual welfare above the short-term financial rewards gained by over-utilization of limited resources.

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