Francesco Sammarco studied in the early 80’s palaeethnology and archaeology at the University of Lecce – now University of Salento – in Italy, as part of his BA (Hons) in ‘Classics’. He also holds a BA (Hons) in ‘Classical Archaeology’, from King’s College London/University of London (U.K.), from the early 90’s, and a Masters degree (MA) in ‘Public Archaeology’ from the University College London/University of London (U.K.). He has a long term professional and personal interest in the issues surrounding shamanism, archaeology, ancient rock-art, traditional medicines, religious anthropology, ethnobotany, and ancient and contemporary native cultures. Hopelessly in love with the pre-Columbian cultures of the Americas, the teachings of Carlos Castaneda, Nagualism, Taoism, the I Ching and ancient forms of divination, Francesco has met and worked with many highly respected indigenous and mestizo Peruvian and Colombian shamans. Among them: Alex Stark, Don Ruperto Peña Shuña, Don Agustin Rivas, Don Julio Llerena Pinedo, Don Alberto Torres Davila, Don Leoncio Garcia Sampaya, Don Adriano Rodriguez, Don Mariano Silvano Sinuiri, Don Sebastian Quispe Querillo, Taita Laureano and Taita Alfredo Juajibioy. In the early nineties – through an Odinist acquaintance of his in the USA – he also came across Hawk, a Yaqui Indian and Toltec sorcerer, member of the Council of the Elders of Tacoma, in Washington D.C.. Hawk claimed to be one of the original group of 16 Indians with whom Carlos Castaneda worked and disappeared after taking part in the Zapatist revolution, in Mexico. 
Francesco is the main editor of the three icaros CDs collections that El Mundo Magico produced and published, respectively, in 2001, 2003 and in 2010. In 1999, Francesco hypothesised the use of psycho-active substances during the celebration of the Mystery cults among the Iapygian-Messapians, the ancient indigenous people of Southern Puglia (Apulia), in the sanctuary of Monte Papalucio at Oria (Brindisi, Italy). He is the founder of ”El Mundo Magico” (‘The Magical Earth’ or ‘The Magical World’, in Spanish) the idea of which stemmed out of a memorable Ayahuasca ceremony in the Peruvian Amazon, in June 2000. More than for visions, Francesco’s predilection in the use of the magical Ayahuasca brew is for divination and revelations. The medicine let us open to explore different realms of reality, way beyond our wildest dreams: the world we witness when we take Ayahuasca is one of unfathomable magic and mystery, something that can shake to the very foundations our consolidated, social-fabricated idea of reality.
