The Inti Raymi (Sun Feast) although formerly known as Wawa Inti Raymi (Festival of the child Sun) was a ceremony that was performed on June 24 (Winter Solstice in the southern hemisphere) in the Main Square (formerly called Huacaypata) of the city of Cusco in Peru. Inti Raymi means resurrection of the Sun in quechua.
The day of Inti Raymi was the largest and most important celebration that took place in the Inca period. Their religion was based on the worship of the Sun, the incas were considered to be the children of the Sun and they thanked its existence to him, they respected him and they corresponded him with sacrifices and offerings.
The event was created by the Inca Pachacutec and all the people attended to the ceremony which lasted 15 days and consisted in the realization of dances, ceremonies and sacrifices. The last Inti Raymi held was on 21 June of 1535.
Unfortunately with the arrival of the Spaniards, the Inti Raymi stopped being done, but returned in its contemporary and tourist version on June 24, 1994. This ceremony starts in the Coricancha, where a fictitious Inca makes an invocation to the Sun. While spectators are in the Esplanade of Sacsayhuaman waiting for to come the procession to start the central and most important the festivity part.
The performances made in the Qorikancha and the Plaza de Armas are free access to all the public. We recommend to go early for a good location to access and thus to witness the event from an optimal perspective. The activity takes place in 3 different places so it is important to choose where you want to get better visibility. Although you can witness the three staging’s, it will be harder to get good location in Plaza de Armas for those who seek a good location in the Qorikancha (where it starts) since thousands of people will be distributed in these places.
The entrace and location in the installed bleachers in the Sacsayhuaman Esplanade are through the purchase or reservation of numbered tickets and according to the areas that are specified in the table of rates and location map that can be displayed on the web site of EMUFEC (the company that organizes the event).
If you want to witness the event at Sacsayhuaman for free, you can do it from the hills surrounding the fortress. You need to arrive early to get a good location, just in the first two places (Qorikancha and the Main Square).
If you want to avoid all these problems you can book an Inti Raymi Tour with us.
The Inti Raymi takes place in three areas:
The staging that will take place in Sacsayhuaman comprises the following table arts:
This new version is submitted on the initiative of Humberto Vidal Unda and with the script of Faustino Espinoza Navarro. This ceremony is very important for the inhabitants of Cusco because thanks to the event, during the month of June, the city receives a large number of national and foreign tourists, and this make large profits on the tourist level.
Bolivia also performs the celebration of Inti Raymi, but under the name of Andean New Year- Amazonian (although not all the Amazonian communities celebrate it).
This event has been a tradition for many years and is one of the most expected festivity in Peru.
