All dancers, men and women, wear elaborate feathered head dresses, some with tall ostrich plumes. Their costumes are opulent, trimmed with gold braid and glass beads. The men may elect to wear simply a satin cape, and head dress and a loin cloth. On the cape is embroidered some part of the design which is on the banner, immortalizing the date of founding of the group and its patron saint. The banner is held by two standard bearers at every dance and during processions.
Standard bearers care for the banner when the group travels.
The organization of the group centers around a mesa or table which serves as an altar dedicated to a saint who protects the group. The initiation ritual includes offerings of flowers, candles and the indispensable copal incense, gathered from trees by the faithful. Candles, especially large tapers, may be rented from the mayordomo of the pueblo who charges the people for the quantity burned. Members of the mesa make a vow to help one another in family emergencies and during illnesses and must make up before a trip if they have quarreled. Sometimes trips take up to two weeks and unity among the members is vital.