Guardian of the Fire and Healer
Irma León Cortés is a prominent representative of the indigenous peoples of Mexico. Of Mixtec descent and from the state of Guerrero, known for its healing women, she was born in Veracruz in 1960 and moved to the State of Mexico at the age of 8.
Driven by her desire to be a Guardian of the Fire and Healer, she graduated as a nurse and studied Traditional Medicine at the University of Chapingo. She currently practices Toltec Traditional Medicine in Teotihuacan and is the founder of the Medicine Program and the Traditional Garden of the Toltec Cultural Center of Teotihuacan.
In addition to her practice as a dancer, Irma works with cosmic energy, performs massages with obsidian, and uses the sacred Toltec fire to heal through the Nahui Ollin flower.
Her work has been recognized by various national and international institutions. Her work as a Traditional Medicine Woman includes aromatherapy sessions with infusions from her own garden and collaboration with academic institutions in creating study programs. She is the author of a book on the results of using traditional medicine in patients with hypertension, based on her experience at IMSS and the trust of her community.
As a guardian of the connection between the Mixtec and Toltec peoples, she developed, during the pandemic, in collaboration with Launa Lazos de Amor and the Toltec Cultural Center, an assistance program to share the benefits of the temazcal in the recovery of post-COVID patients.
Currently, she is working on creating a national network of indigenous women, with an emphasis on her connection to the Oaxacan community and her collaboration with the Maya Cultural Center of the Memnosyne Institute.