Tia Neiva - Legacy

Legacy

The first community founded by Tia Neiva was near the city of Alexânia, Goiás, and was called "União Espiritualista Seta Branca". Seta Branca was the alleged spirit of an Incan who appeared to her and was her mentor. Today he is the central figure of the cult, which includes elements from Christianity, Candomblé, Spiritism, Extraterrestrials, and Egyptology. From there she moved to Taguatinga, near Brasília, and in 1969 to the place known today as Vale do Amanhecer in the rural zone of Planaltina, a satellite city of Brasília.

In her last years, Tia Neiva was always accompanied by her companion Mário Sassi who was known as Trino Tumuchy. Her children continued her work and are part of the hierarchy of the sect. The most important, Gilberto Zelaya, or Trino Ajarâ in the spirit world, is the First Doctrinator of the Dawn and Coordinator of the Temples of the Dawn.

A large sect has been built around Neiva, who had incredible powers of organisation and ability to convince the authorities to acquire land and funding. According to the official website today there are 589 temples in Brazil and in other countries like Germany, the United States, Japan, and Portugal. The group's membership is estimated to be at 120,000 according to the Correio Brasiliense.