Latest news with #Loreto
Forbes
08-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Loreto, Mexico's Mailena Set To Redefine Baja Wellness Scene In 2026
In an ambitious move set to elevate Baja California's already-impressive luxury hospitality scene, the master-planned resort community of Danzante Bay has announced its latest development: Mailena, Loreto's first luxury wellness resort, an adults-only property scheduled to open in late summer 2026. Rendering of a yoga suite at Loreto's forthcoming Mailena Luxury Wellness Resort. Mailena Situated along the typically calm shores of the Sea of Cortez with the rocky Sierra de la Giganta mountains in view, Mailena promises more than just indulgent beachfront relaxation. The property will introduce a new level of integrative wellbeing with an emphasis on longevity, in the context of design with an eye toward immersive experiences. The team behind Danzante Bay, including developer Luz Maria Torres, Mailena is positioned as the resort's next evolutionary leap. Torres describes the vision as 'a holistic sanctuary where guests can prioritize their wellbeing while connecting with the area's magical qualities.' In fact, Loreto is government-designated Pueblo Mágico, which denote s a Mexican towns rich in cultural heritage and charm, with an international airport. Views of the rugged Sierra de la Giganta mountains from Loreto's Mailena Luxury Wellness Resort. Mailena With just 96 guestrooms, the boutique resort is deliberately intimate, comprising a mix of suites, casitas and one-bedroom penthouses, each designed to privilege a connection with nature. All rooms offer proximity to the ocean and panoramic views that emphasize the region's grandiose beauty. Mailena's architectural story starts with Mexico-based firm Broissin, known for its contextual and sustainable design ethos, drew inspiration from the surrounding desert-sea landscape. The resort's three-zone layout is defined by bold focal points: a living olive tree in the lobby representing resilience, a cenote-inspired wellness hub for introspection, and a signature restaurant that blends indoor and outdoor dining with a seamless pool-to-sea transition. Broissin partner and architect David Suárez says, 'Mailena is a tribute to Loreto's mystical energy and topography, designed to deliver a deeply sensory and soulful guest experience.' The Future of Travel: Science-Backed Serenity At the heart of the property will be the Wellness and Longevity Center , a destination unto itself. Guests will have access to personalized, science-based wellness programs, sensory deprivation tanks, hydrothermal experiences including snow rooms and saunas, and advanced biohacking suites. From contrast therapy to shiatsu massages in water, the resort promises a 360-degree reset for mind and body. The architecturally dramatic Wellness Spa at Mailena. Mailena Complementing the wellness programming is a culinary focus on vitality. The property will offer holistic dining grounded in local ingredients, functional nutrition, and Mediterranean inspiration. Several dining concepts — each designed to nourish rather than restrict — will cater to travelers seeking both indulgence and intentional living. A Sense of Place, A Sense of Purpose Mailena's geographical location is as much a draw as its cutting-edge programs. On a protected stretch of shoreline within the Loreto Bay National Marine Park — a UNESCO World Heritage site — the resort serves as a gateway to 'the Aquarium of the World,' referred to as such for its marine biodiversity and pristine waters. Guests can snorkel, paddleboard, hike through canyons, or embark on cultural tours into Loreto's historic heart, a former Jesuit capital dating back to 1697. A Broader Vision for Danzante Bay Mailena isn't emerging in isolation. It joins a growing constellation of upscale offerings at Danzante Bay, including the established Villa del Palmar Resort and Mantarraya , a new collection of 43 luxury residences. Mantarraya homeowners will have exclusive access to Mailena's wellness center and amenities, signaling a new level of integrated resort-residential living. Rendering of guest studios at Mailena Luxury Wellness Resort, coming to Loreto, Mexico in 2026. Mailena Loreto: The Next Baja Star? While names like Cabo and Tulum dominate tourist itineraries in Mexico, Loreto is quietly making its mark. Direct flights from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tijuana, Phoenix, Dallas and Calgary make it a compelling, under-the-radar destination for North American travelers looking to explore a new place. Mailena is slated to begin accepting reservations in March 2026, with opening projected for late summer. For more information, visit
CBC
20-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Mercury poisoning in Peru's Amazon found in nearly 80 per cent of villagers in recent study
Indigenous and riverine communities in the Loreto region of the Peruvian Amazon have "chronic exposure" to mercury, according to a new study — and experts say the biggest culprit is gold mining in the region. The test results released this month by the Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation at Wake Forest University (CINCIA) in the United States show nearly 80 per cent of the people tested late last year had levels of mercury far above the safe limits in six communities on the banks of the Nanay and Pintuyacu rivers. "The majority of the population is contaminated," said Jairo Reategui Davila, the Apu, or leader, of San Antonio de Nanay, one of the tested communities. "We call on the authorities to take action on the matter because we are very concerned," he said. The results showed 37 per cent of the 273 men, women and children tested had levels of mercury at more than 10 ppm (parts per million) in their hair, compared to just three per cent under the 2.2 ppm limit established by the World Health Organization (WHO). How did so much mercury get in the environment? The central factor is a lust for gold, according to scientists and officials. Gold prices have soared by nearly 50 per cent in the last year, beating successive record highs, and encouraging a flourishing illegal gold mining trade in the Amazon, where illegal miners use mercury to extract gold particles from the river silt. After the gold is extracted, these mining operations burn off the mercury, turning the toxic metal to vapour that is absorbed by surrounding plants, soil and rivers, said Claudia Vega, head of the mercury program at CINCIA, damaging local nature and biodiversity and raising significant health concerns. Mercury poisoning is associated with several health issues, including cognitive impairment in adults and irreversible developmental delays and learning difficulties for children and babies in the womb. Gabriel Barría, regional coordinator for heavy metals for the local health authority, said it was "very regrettable that villagers were highly contaminated" and blamed the spread of illegal gold mining for the mercury levels in Amazon rivers. He said the health authority did not have the budget to carry out tests for mercury and had only tested 12 villagers on a recent health visit relying on blood and urine samples. Exceeding the limit CINCIA said tests revealed an average level was 8.41 ppm, exceeding the WHO limit by nearly four times. Given that illegal mining in Loreto is fairly recent, there are no comprehensive studies on its health impact on the local population yet. But the levels in these initial tests are already higher than those in the Peruvian Amazon region most impacted by illegal gold mining, Madre de Dios, where 2012 tests showed the majority of adults had average mercury levels of 2.7 ppm. Communities along the Amazon have had to deal with illegal gold mining operations for decades, but it's become a mounting problem in South America in recent years despite governments attempting to crack down on them. In 2023, Colombia, Brazil and the U.S. teamed up to destroy 19 illegal gold mining dredges in the Amazon rainforest. Around 114,000 grams of mercury was being dumped into the river every month at these sites, which authorities said were run by a transnational criminal group. Luis Fernandez, executive director of CINCIA and research professor at Wake Forest University, said if illegal mining continued to spread in Loreto, then villagers with already high mercury levels might begin to approach those close to the worst-recorded cases of mercury contamination. This includes Minamata Bay, the renowned case in Japan in the 1950s, where children were born with congenital deformities and neurological disabilities caused by a chemical factory dumping mercury into the water supply for decades. Vega from CINCIA, who led the study, said the results showed worrying "background" levels of mercury in the Loreto riparian communities. The villagers' fish-based diet was the biggest vector for the mercury entering their systems, Vega said. While this particular study couldn't fully determine if the mercury came from naturally occurring sources or human-caused activities like illegal gold mining, she noted that "several studies agree that the entry of mining into a territory tends to significantly increase mercury levels in the environment." The villagers tested for this newly released study were mainly exposed to methylmercury, researchers found, a highly toxic form that accumulates in the body. "[The] greatest risk is for pregnant women and children: methylmercury can cross the placenta and affect the development of the developing baby's brain," Vega said. "This type of exposure is a serious public health concern, even if affected individuals do not show immediate symptoms."
Irish Independent
14-06-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Wicklow nun speaks of her work educating women in war-torn South Sudan
Sr Orla Treacy initially arrived in Rumbek in 2006 alongside two other Loreto nuns from Ireland, not long after the country had suffered two decades of civil war. She is the director of the Loreto Rumbek Mission, which includes a secondary school attended by 385 girls, a primary school attended by over 1,200 boys and a primary healthcare centre. More than 500 girls have graduated from the boarding school since 2008. The secondary school started in 2008 with 35 girls, and the first secondary school graduation took place in 2011. The primary school started under a tree with 120 students in 2014. The primary care centre opened in 2019, followed by the Loretto Education Centre in 2024. In 2022, five graduates of Loreto Rumbek, now working mothers in the north of south Sudan, returned to the Loreto School in Rumbek with an exciting proposition. They invited the sisters to open a new school compound with a primary day school for boys and girls and a secondary boarding school for girls in their hometown called Aweil, about a 10-hour drive from Rumbek. In South Sudan, 2.8 million children are out of school, and the majority of them are girls. Sr Orla spoke at all masses held in the Holy Redeemer Church in Bray on Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8, where she shared news on the planned project to build a new school for girls and young women in Aweil, and the profound difference it can make to the lives of hundreds of South Sudanese girls and women. Sr Orla stated: 'When donors have the chance to invest in these young women, they're investing in giving a life, giving an education. That has an impact on a whole community.' She added: 'It's a desire to have the young women of South Sudan to continue to be educated and continue to be leaders. These five young women were in school with us for four to five years and we kept saying to them 'you have to give back to your community and you have to contribute', and now here they are, married, working, mothers - let's continue to build this country together.' Donations towards the project can be made at
The Independent
09-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
American tourist dies after drinking hallucinogenic herbal tea in Amazon rainforest
An American tourist has reportedly died after drinking hallucinogenic herbal tea during an ayahuasca session in Peru. The 41-year-old man, said to be from Alabama, died in Santa María de Ojeal in the Loreto region of the Amazon Rainforest on 2 June, reported local outlet Canal N Peru. Narciso López, coordinator of the Forensic Medicine Department in Loreto, told Canal N that the American suffered multiple organ failure with complications including pleural effusion and acute pancreatitis shortly after consuming the psychoactive brew. Autopsy testing at the central morgue in Iquitos will determine the official cause of death, said Lopez. According to Canal N, the tourist had not reported taking antibiotics at the time of ingesting ayahuasca. It is thought that mixing ayahuasca with antibiotics can create an adverse reaction. The outlet added that the ayahuasca ceremony took place at a spiritual hostel in Santa María de Ojeal. Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew prepared from the bark of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and a plant containing dimethyltryptamine (DMT), traditionally used by indigenous communities in the Amazon. The psychoactive substance is illegal to consume in several countries, including the US. Many tourists try the drug in South America, often marketed to travellers as a 'ceremonial' or 'spiritual cleanser'. In January 2025, the US Embassy in Peru issued a health alert warning tourists not to 'ingest or use traditional hallucinogens, often referred to as ayahuasca or kambo'. It said: 'Ayahuasca can cause several negative health effects, including nausea, vomiting, increased heart rate, and even death. Some of the long-term effects include psychosis, difficulty sleeping, neurological diseases, and ongoing hallucinations. 'In 2024, several U.S. citizens died or experienced severe illness, including mental health episodes, following consumption of ayahuasca.'
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Yahoo
Tourist, 41, Drank Psychedelic Tea During a Spiritual Retreat in Peru. Now, His Dead Body Is Waiting to Be Claimed by Family: Reports
Aaron Castranova, 41, died after allegedly consuming ayahuasca brew at a spiritual retreat in Peru on Sunday, June 1 He is believed to have suffered a "serious" reaction to the brew after consuming it while already on antibiotics No family members have come forward to the morgue or contacted Peruvian authorities regarding his death at this time, according to reportsAn American tourist has died after drinking a hallucinogenic herbal tea during a spiritual retreat in Peru, according to reports. On Sunday, June 1, Aaron Castranova, 41, from Alabama, died after allegedly ingesting an ayahuasca brew at the La Casa de Guillermo ICONA hostel in Loreto, located in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest, Daily Mail, national outlets La Republica and Infobae reported. Castranova suffered multiple organ failure, with the presence of pleural effusion (fluid around the lungs) and acute pancreatitis,' Infobae reported, citing the regional prosecutor's forensic pathologist, Dr. Narciso López. López suggested that Castranova was on certain medications that, combined with consuming ayahuasca, can 'trigger serious adverse reactions,' per the outlet. Ayahuasca is a psychedelic brew containing the natural chemical dimethyltryptamine (DMT), found in the psychotria viridis plant leaves, which is illegal in the U.S. The brew has been used for centuries by indigenous peoples from Peru, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador in religious rituals and for therapeutic purposes, according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation. Castranova reportedly consumed the drink during a ritual in Santa Maria de Ojeda's indigenous community. Hostel managers claimed that he didn't inform the ceremony organizers he was on antibiotics ahead of the ritual, per the Daily Mail. Following his death, the authorities were alerted and Castronova's body was 'transported by river to the port of Bellavista Nanay and then transferred to the central morgue in Iquitos, where it remains pending claim by his family or the U.S. Embassy,' Infobae reported. No family members have come forward to the morgue or contacted Peruvian authorities regarding his death at this time. The U.S. Embassy has been called to coordinate the transfer of Catronova's body back to the U.S., per Infobae. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. The U.S. Embassy states that U.S. citizens visiting Peru should "NOT ingest or use traditional hallucinogens, often referred to as ayahuasca or kambo. These dangerous substances are often marketed to travelers in Peru as 'ceremonial' or 'spiritual cleansers.' " The embassy warns that ayahuasca can cause several negative health effects, including nausea, vomiting, increased heart rate, and even death as well as long-term effects of psychosis, difficulty sleeping, neurological diseases, and ongoing hallucinations. Read the original article on People
