The ancient Incas celebrated the Sun and all it brings with a celebration called the Inti Raymi festival. The legendary Festival of the Inti Raymi was and is still celebrated on the day of the winter solstice, June 24, throughout the Andean regions of the southern hemisphere. The city of Cusco, in the heart of the Andes in Peru, hosts the Inti Raymi, also known as the Festival of the Sun. Cuzco was formerly the Inca Empire‘s capital. Inti Raymi was their most important festival.
There are several venues for the event. The major event starts at the Sun Temple (Coricancha), moves through Cuzco’s Plaza de Armas, and concludes at the city’s stronghold, Sacsayhuamán. About 25,000 people, including 700 actors, attend the Inti Raymi festival every year. Every Peruvian has had this moment at some point in their lives. Because Inti Raymi is still among the most important celebrations in Latin America.
The Inti Raymi festival, held to assure a bountiful crop, often ran for nine days and included elaborate dances, processions, and animal sacrifices in honor of Pachamama. Pachamama gave birth to Inti, the sun god, and Mama Killa, the moon goddess. In 1412, the very first Inti Raymi festival was held. In 1535, the final Inti Raymi was held in front of an Inca Emperor.
What Is the Inti Raymi festival?
The Inti Raymi means “Inti Festival” in Quechua. It is a sacred ritual practiced by the Inca. In Quechua, it is known as the Festival of the Sun (or the Sun God). Inti is the name of the Sun God. The stories attribute his birth to the deity who founded the civilization, “Viracocha.” His true origin is not clear. The roots of the Inti Raymi festival can be traced all the way back to the legendary beginnings of Inca culture. The ritual was most likely first created in the 11th century. The Inti, a god seen as symbolic of the Sun, is the focus of this celebration.
Historically There Were Two Inti Raymi Festivals
During the winter solstice, the Incas celebrated “Wawa Inti Raymi,” or the Festival of the Sun Child, and during the summer solstice, they celebrated “Capac Inti Raymi,” or the Festival of the Great Sun. However, the significance of the sun rising grew over time, and a new cyclical era was represented by the Sun’s rebirth. We can think of it as a local Christmas.
It is important to remember that the fertility of the Earth was another goal of this event. It was the conclusion of harvest and the beginning of potato planting, ushering in a new agricultural cycle. For this reason, the Inti Raymi festival had great significance for the Andean people. A good crop was a reflection of how well the event went.
Participants Wait for Dawn Together at the Inti Raymi Festival
The Sacsayhuamán citadel served as the event’s focal point. Festivities were held at what is now known as Huacaypata Plaza or the Place of the Warrior of Cuzco (or Plaza de Armas). During the Inti Raymi festival, the emperor was in the middle, surrounded by his subjects. Each person joined the others in waiting until dawn. Concurrently, they made sacrifices and performed rituals. And then they visited the Temple of the Sun.
For generations, the Inti Raymi festival was celebrated until viceroy (governor) Francisco de Toledo outlawed it in 1535. During the colonial period, the Spanish and the Catholic Church saw Inti Raymi as a dangerous enemy. The Andeans were coerced into adopting a Christian religion by the invading Spaniards. For the Spaniards, the Inti Raymi festival was a heretical celebration since it had no basis in Christian belief.
When the priests sought to force their beliefs on the locals, the Inca people responded with this celebration as a gesture of defiance. They engaged in what was known as the “Illness Dance” during these acts of defiance. The spread of idol worship also threatened the continuity of this custom. Spanish conquistadors wiped out festivals and many other customs by destroying religious artifacts.
Andean painters always found a way to infuse Andean ideas, like the belief in the Inti and the Mama Quilla or Killa (Inti’s sister and wife), into their artwork, even when it was about something totally different, such as the Adam and Eve drawing above. The painters used symbols from their old faith in works designed to reflect Christianity. Stories and beliefs about the Inca religion were passed down over the ages through word of mouth thanks to this sentiment. For this reason, the Inti Raymi festival has endured longer than expected.
Inti Raymi Represents the Bond Between the Sun and His Sons
To celebrate the Inti Raymi festival, the Incas assembled their subjects in Cuzco. People gathered in droves in Huacaypata Plaza (Plaza de Armas Cusco) to witness the transport of ancestral mummies. They were in pristine condition and brought from the adjacent temples for the celebration. Celebration dances lasted all day long, from sunrise to night, while celebrants drank chicha (the beer of the Incas) and inhaled the smoke of coca fires.
When the Inti Raymi festival rolled around, it always brightened up the darkest days of winter. Because the Incas were afraid that the Sun (their father) would desert them, they decided that the shortest day of the year, June 24, was the best option for this festival. Because June 24 is the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. The event was held annually on the winter solstice when the Sun was at its furthest distance from Earth. Tens of thousands gathered in a last-ditch effort to convince the Sun God to revive their crops.
The Inti Raymi Festival Was Revived in 1940
Since 1940, however, the celebration has been revitalized as Cuzco’s citizens rediscover their indigenous devotions. The Peruvian people still celebrate their largest feast on June 24. It was Faustino Espinoza Navarro, a Peruvian playwright and actor, who revived this Inca holy event. He based the details of the Inti Raymi festival on the descriptions of the event in the “Royal Comments of the Inca” by the Spanish soldier Garcilaso de la Vega (1612). He founded the Cuzco Academy of the Quechua Language and rescued the Inti Raymi festival. Initially, just the religious rite was reconstructed based on the writings of Garcilaso de la Vega.
Since 1944, on June 24th, 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) from the original site of the celebration in the heart of Cusco, a dramatic depiction of the Inti Raymi has been held in Saksaywaman. This festival has evolved into a true show for both locals and visitors to Peru with a well-planned and executed production.
Experts in archaeology, history, and academia did the legwork required to recreate the ancient Inti Raymi festival as accurately as possible. Modern Inti Raymi is still a massive celebration, but it no longer has a mummy procession or animal sacrifice. It starts at sunrise in front of the Coricancha, the Temple of the Sun, and concludes at the Sacsayhuamán citadel district, known for its massive stone walls.
On June 24, locals in Cusco, Peru, offer tourists and travelers the best ways to celebrate the festival. Throughout the day, there are several celebrations and religious observances. The city is made more colorful by the many street fairs and concerts held in the central Plaza de Armas. As one of Latin America’s largest celebrations, Inti Raymi ranks just behind Rio de Janeiro’s own Carnaval.
This day represents the endurance of Peruvian religious and cultural identity over centuries of colonialism and Christianization.
Sacsayhuamán
The Sacsayhuamán fortress is the main piece of the Inti Raymi festival. It is a fortification designed to resemble the head of a puma, a highly revered animal in Inca culture. These ruins are the most impressive of all of Cusco’s environs. The Quechua meaning of the word “Sacsayhuamán” is “satisfied falcon.” Built by the Incas, the citadel had impressive defenses in the shape of a ziggurat, with three stories (representing the puma’s teeth) to keep invaders out.
What method was employed to move these massive pieces of limestone and completely encapsulate and assemble them is unknown. It is important to note that one of the stones in this structure is over 26 feet (8 meters) in length and weighs more than 300 tons. Furthermore, the fortification was made up of three towers. Tradition has it that one of them would have an underground passageway system leading all the way to the Temple of the Sun. However, only around 20% of the original buildings survived.
A Look at How the Inti Raymi Festival Is Celebrated
9:00 am – Coricancha: The devotion of the Sun
At nine in the morning, people gather in front of Coricancha or Qoricancha (meaning, “the corral of gold”) and also known as the Temple of the Sun, to begin the Festival of the Sun.
Because of its status as the holiest site in all of Inca territory, this temple has attained legendary proportions. It served as a sacred site for Inca rituals honoring the Sun, Moon, and Rain gods.
The Sapa Inca, the “Sun God King” or the “Great Inca,” who serves as a ceremonial leader for the day, prays to the Sun God from this temple during the Inti Raymi festival.
11:00 am – Plaza de Armas: the Coca ceremony
After Sapa Inca has finished his invocation, he and his dancers leave the Temple of the Sun and go to the Plaza de Armas.
There are a lot of important characters in the procession, including the Sapa Inca, his wife Quilla, and a number of nobles and priests.
The second stage of the Inti Raymi festival, known as the Coca ceremony, takes place after the procession reaches the Plaza de Armas.
During the reign of the Inca Empire, the Plaza de Armas (formerly Huacaypata) served as the beating heart of the capital city. Even more importantly, it was the only location of the Inti Raymi festival. The “Great Ushnu,” a pyramid-like structure, was where the event was held. This was the place to make a formal appeal to the gods. Here, at this spot, the Inca perform the Coca ritual in honor of the Sun.
Coca leaves are thrown at the high priest’s feet as part of the process, and he is charged with deciphering the Sun’s intent. After a llama is sacrificed (which is staged), two more priests notify the Inca of the Sun’s will. Because the abundance of the next year’s crops is predicted by the Incan high priests by sacrificing a llama and examining its internal organs.
01:30 pm – Inti Raymi performance at Sacsayhuamán
On the esplanade in front of Sacsayhuamán’s fortification, the Inti Raymi festival finally concludes.
In this final stage, a massive procession is planned, and both visitors and residents are welcome to take part. The Sapa Inca is transported in a sedan chair by four separate parties. There are four groups because Qollasuyu, Kuntisuyu, Antisuyu, and Chinchaysuyu stood in for the four regions that existed during the reign of the Inca Empire.
The rite of the Chicha, the rite of the holy fire, and the rite of the sacred bread (Sankhu) follow that. The last ritual involves giving a llama as a sacrifice (again, staged) to the Sun Father.
When the ceremonies are over, the Quechua people put on a spectacular show that includes a variety of dances, musical performances, and songs spoken in their native language.
After the Inti Raymi Festival
Inti Raymi celebrations last for a whole week. But after the ceremony of the Festival of the Sun, the city of Cusco arranges different animations, such as concerts or the appearance of a fair on the sites.
The Inti Raymi festival is a huge deal in the Andean area, and people come from all over the globe to see it. For many Andean indigenous communities, Inti Raymi is the most significant cultural and spiritual festival that has deep historical roots in pre-Columbian times.
FAQ
What are the Inti Raymi traditions?
The participants fasted for three days while still taking water, eating white maize, and chewing chucam herb. They celebrated the winter solstice on the day of Inti Raymi by facing the rising sun with bare feet.
Who celebrates Inti Raymi?
In the Andean communities of Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, and Bolivia people gather towards the end of June for the annual Festival of Inti Raymi to celebrate and express thanks for the wealth of the soil via colorful ancient traditional rites.
What clothes are worn during Inti Raymi?
During the Inti Raymi, people wear scarves, masks, and feathers and carry spears adorned in gold to look like their ancestor gods and the ancient Inca people of the time. The dresses include the rainbow colors of the Inti Raymi flag.
Who Was Inti?
The Inca sun god Inti was also known as Apu Punchau. Several of the mountain spirits that served the Incan gods were known by the name “Apu.” Inti was the ancestor of all Incas. Each and every Inca temple paid homage to him.
References
- “Inti Raymi History”, in Spanish, Web Archive, Elin Tiraymi.
- “Inti Raymi Festival of the Sun in Otavalo”, in Spanish, Web Archive, Volunteering Ecuador.
