Carlos (Cesar Arana) Castaneda was born on January 25, 1925 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Educated at the University of California: Los Angeles (B.A. 1962; Ph.D. 1970). In 1951 he emigrated in the USA.

        While a graduate student in anthropology at UCLA he met Don Juan the Yaqui shaman. Don Juan introduced Carlos Castaneda, Carol Tiggs, Florinda Donner-Grau and Taisha Abelar to the cognitive world of shamans who lived in Mexico in ancient times - which, according to don Juan, was between 7,000 and 10,000 years ago. Don Juan was teaching Castaneda the knowledge of the shamans of the Ancient Mexico for 12 years. Then he left this world.

        Apparently Castaneda lived in obscurity, avoiding photographers and interviews. A former wife and a son were not informed of his death. His followers believe he left the world the way Don Juan did. Another version is that he died of liver cancer on April 27, 1998, at his home in Westwood.  Castaneda's cremated remains were taken to Mexico.