Colombia’s rain shaman got paid to stop the storms, until he couldn’t

His governmental role was unofficial and yet, widely trusted. For decades, Bogotá officials and event planners gave thousands of dollars to a mystic man named Jorge Elias González to manipulate the weather. But then a corruption probe, and a few memorable downpours, shook their faith. In this fascinating and peculiar tale, Matthew Bremner explores Elias González's methods and background and tries to answer two key questions: does he really believe what he sells? And how did he get so far?