LIMA – On Monday, a collective of shamans assembled on a revered hillside overlooking the bustling city of Lima to conduct their yearly tradition of forecasting events for the coming year.

Clad in vibrant Andean attire featuring ponchos and elaborate headdresses, the shamans performed their ritual on the barren San Cristobal hill. During this ceremony, they shared insights on potential developments in global politics, ongoing disputes, and the destinies of prominent world figures.

This year, the shamans predicted the ousting of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and suggested that international tensions, such as the conflict in Ukraine, would persist.

“We have called for Maduro’s departure, envisioning that former U.S. President Donald Trump will facilitate his removal, and we foresee this unfolding in the upcoming year,” stated Ana María Simeón, one of the shamans.

The group’s track record with these annual forecasts is varied.

Last year, they warned a “nuclear war” would break out between Israel and Gaza, where a ceasefire is currently in place.

But in December 2023, the group correctly predicted that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who had been imprisoned for human rights abuses, would perish within twelve months.

Fujimori died from cancer in September 2024 at the age of 86.

Before Monday’s ceremony, the shamans met to drink hallucinogenic concoctions derived from native plants — including Ayahuasca and the San Pedro cactus — which are believed to give them the power to predict the future.

During the ceremony, they placed blankets with yellow flowers, coca leaves, swords and other objects on San Cristobal hill, asking for positive energy for the new year.

After dancing in circles and playing ancestral instruments, the shamans asked for peace in the Middle East, an end to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and the fall of President Maduro.

The prayers to the gods, performed amid flowers and incense, as well as dances, are intended to encourage leaders to make good decisions.

The shamans also predicted natural disasters, such as earthquakes and climatic phenomena.