Taita Marco Tulio Muñoz

Archetype

Calm and socially committed intellectual. A bridge between academia and ancestral medicine.

Role

Medicine man. Guardian and musician of sacred ceremony space.

Personal Journey

My name is Marco Tulio Muñoz Macanilla, and I am a traditional doctor from the Kichwa people of the Colombian Amazon.

I was born on December 14, 1972, in the Resguardo Indígena Cecilia Cocha in Putumayo (Colombia). I am a descendant of a family of ancestral doctors and great healers. My father, Taita Isaías Muñoz Caimito, was a great curaca (chief or governor) of the Murui (Uitoto) culture in Chorrera, Amazonas. My mother, Margarita Macanilla, comes from the Kichwa people of the Napo River region, Ecuador. She is a descendant of the Inca people, great knowledgeable and healers, who arrived fleeing slavery during the times of the “caucherías”, also called Casa Arana.

I am heir to the lineage of two great Amazonian cultures, Murui and Kichwa. Wise connoisseurs of the great secrets of the mysteries of nature and spiritual life, especially the medicine of Ayahuasca or Yagé.

I took Yagé (Ayahuasca) for the first time at the age of four. During my childhood and youth, I was always between school education and the practice of taking Yagé medicine, first, with the guidance of my maternal grandparents and my father, which allowed me to understand the knowledge left by our ancestors. They were guardians of the sacred ceremony of Yagé and ancient healing songs, connoisseurs of the plant medicines of the Amazon jungle.

Once my father passed away, I continued the medicine path with my brothers, Taita Isaías Muñoz Macanilla and Taita Oliberto Muñoz Macanilla. Two great curacas (chiefs or governors) and leaders of our community, internationally recognised. With them, I continued my learning with the firm conviction of always representing and carrying the lineage left by our ancestors with great respect.

For many years, I have participated in local meetings organised by indigenous organisations in my community and municipality of Puerto Leguizam. I have attended ceremonies, community meetings, cultural meetings, and typical dances of other traditions, such as the Murui people.

I have also participated in ceremonies with plant medicines since 1983 in Colombia (Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, and Neiva) and in Europe (Germany, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Lithuania, and Estonia). It has always been a unique and enjoyable experience.

I have been participating in support of the indigenous university council of the Universidad Surcolombiana (USCO) of Neiva, in the training and motivation for the consolidation and recovery of the knowledge and ancestral culture of various peoples of the Colombian region.

In 2023, I am finishing my studies in law, with a specialisation in labour law and social security at Corporación Universitaria Republicana, in Bogotá. I have stood out for my training both in academia and in ancestral medicine, carrying with me a great message for society in the training of new leaders.

I have firm convictions to strengthen indigenous organisations, culture, self-education, ancestral knowledge, and indigenous medicine, especially of the Kichwa people, highlighting the importance of our sacred medicine for the physical, mental, and spiritual healing of people. Very necessary for the current society of our people.

I do, with a group of friends, social work through Yagé and other ancestral medicines. Together, we try to help young people who are immersed in drug addiction. Plant medicines have shown us great effectiveness in these cases, motivating us to continue this social commitment, especially with young people.

Strength, peace, love, wisdom, respect, unity, and faith to continue our path.