Guest Profile: Chief Paco, Sundance Chief and Keeper of Ceremony

Nov 1

4 min read

Chief Francisco Ceyaotl Marin, known as Chief Paco, is a Sundance chief, a keeper of the Danza Conchera tradition, a traditional medicine practitioner and guardian, and a leader in the Native American Church. This interview is part of the Quantum Collective Podcast, Episode 1, hosted by Jonah Bolt (@iamjonahbolt).

This profile shares a cultural and spiritual tradition as Chief Paco describes it. It is not medical advice and not a recommendation to seek out or use any plant medicine.

Who Is Chief Paco?

Chief Paco comes from the Mixteca, a mountain region in southern Mexico, and from a family of teachers and curanderos. He was raised in part by his great grandmother, a medicine woman who grew healing plants between the rows of corn. He later grew up in New York City, where the stories of his childhood returned to him through the dance community and the ceremonies of the Native American Church.

Today he leads a community of traditional dancers and medicine families in South Florida. You can follow him on Instagram at @ceyaotl_franco.

What Does It Mean to Be a Chief in His Tradition?

In Chief Paco's tradition there is no single word for leader. Leaders are called palabras, meaning words, because their word carries weight and people trust it. He received the responsibility of chief at Sundance after years of service, and the first thing he was told is that a chief belongs to the people.

“When you're a palabra, that means your palabra matters, what you say.” Chief Paco

How Do the Ancestors Guide His Path?

Chief Paco describes his journey as remembering rather than discovering. He credits ancestors who prayed seven generations ahead for the path that opened to him, and he sees his own role the same way: building a safe community where his two daughters, and the children of every family, can grow up carrying the tradition forward.

“We are a community of families.” Chief Paco

Why Is Dance a Form of Prayer?

For Chief Paco, traditional dance is the living container for ceremony, music and respect for the ancestors. With copal burning on the altar and the drum pushing the rhythm, dancers move their bodies and release what they have carried all week. Practice itself becomes prayer, and it keeps the culture alive from one generation to the next.

What Is His Advice for People Curious About Ceremony?

His message is caution and respect. Ceremonies like these came from humble people in their hardest times and should never be treated as a trend. Educate yourself first, learn where a tradition comes from and who is holding the space, and if you do not feel safe and comfortable, do not go.

“You're supposed to be present and focused, you're supposed to be aware of what's going on.” Chief Paco

What Did His Great Grandmother Teach Him?

Chief Paco's great grandmother grew medicinal plants between the rows of corn and used them to care for her family and village. She told him stories of many medicines and of the cycles by which a medicine arrives when a people need it and fades when it is no longer respected. By his childhood, some of those plants no longer grew in that part of the Mixteca, which he links to pollution and changes in both the land and the people.

Those stories stayed with him. In New York, among his uncles and aunties and later in the dance circles and ceremonies of the Native American Church, they came alive again. He learned by sitting with elders, many of whom have since passed, and by serving in roles such as fire keeper and door keeper before ever leading.

Key Takeaways

Leadership is service, not status. A leader's word must be trustworthy. Ceremony runs on protocols that exist to keep people safe. Respect the origins of every tradition and the people who carry it. Community, family and children sit at the center of the work, and the ancestors who prayed for us long ago are part of every step forward.

Topics Covered in This Interview

Indigenous wisdom, ancestors, Mixteca and Nahua heritage, curanderos, Sundance, Danza Conchera, the Native American Church, sacred fire, copal, community leadership, women's teachings at dawn, ceremony safety and respect for plant medicine traditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Chief Paco?

Chief Francisco Ceyaotl Marin is a Mixteco Nahua Sundance chief, Danza Conchera keeper and Native American Church leader who guides a dance and medicine community in South Florida.

What is a palabra?

In his tradition, a palabra is a leader. The word means word, because a leader's word must be trustworthy and carry weight with the people.

What is Danza Conchera?

It is a traditional ceremonial dance of Mexico in which dance, music and prayer honor the ancestors and keep the culture alive. Chief Paco is one of its keepers.

Does Chief Paco recommend trying plant medicine?

No. He urges education, respect and caution first, and stresses choosing trustworthy people. This profile is not a recommendation to use any substance.