"When I traveled through the countries of South America, I knew an Indian that lived near the Summum Supremum Sanctuarium (in Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, Colombia). He was a "Mama," a kind of Mahatma. He was a small man of about one meter; he did not have more than one meter [in height] and some centimeters. His hair was long, his chin black and long, wearing a tunic, he looked like a small thin Christ." - Samael Aun Weor

Mamas are the name given to the Initiate-Priests that live amongst three tribes: Arhuaco, Kogi and Assario. These three tribes live amongst the native groups on the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, Colombia (the highest coastal mountain in the world). The Arhuaco, Kogi and Assario are descendants of the Tairona civilization that flourished before the time of the Spanish Invasion. The Tairona civilization that flourished in South America was directly descended from the Atlantean Civilization. These Mamas are pure blooded natives, however, when they interact with the South American society, they adopt Spanish names and surnames.

"So, we knew two powerful enlightened beings, which were absolutely illiterate. One was this uncivilized Indian (a Mama) of La Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta (Colombia)... He started talking about themes that I had written in The Revolution of Beelzebub. I said to him, "How is this, Brother Bernardino Alfaro Torres?" (He was baptized with that Latin name by a missionary) "How is this," I said, "that you know about my book The Revolution of Beelzebub, if you do not know how to write, neither to read... if you are illiterate?" "Sir, we the members of the tribe of Mamas, do not need to read a book. We examine it in the Astral World. The book The Revolution of Beelzebub is a book of the Goddess Nature and we have it on the altars of our Temples-Sanctuaries..." He was an astonishing man: he knew the entire book; he spoke about Nirvana, of a Golden City in the Nirvanic world... " - Samael Aun Weor