By:Anuradha Boodoo-Balliram & Natherly Ferguson

Inti Raymi

Festival of the Sun

INTRODUCTION

The Inti Raymi ("Festival of the Sun") was a religious ceremony of the Inca Empire in honor of the god Inti. Since 1944, a historical reconstruction of the Inti Raymi has been taking place at the ruins of Sacsayhuamán (two km. from Cusco) on June 24 of each year, attracting thousands of tourists and local visitors.

THE FESTIVAL

More than 150,000 colorfully clad natives and tourists assemble in the morning at the fabled Coricancha, or Sun Temple, where the Inca (a local resident designated to play the part) delivers an invocation of praise to Father Sun.

The royal entourage moves to the city's main plaza, formerly the Incas‘ great civic square. After a ceremonial reading of the sacred coca leaf to divine the future of the empire, the Inca proceeds to the massive stone walls and zigzagging ramparts of Sacsayhuaman.

The ruined fortress remains one of the most astonishing megaliths of the ancient world - a single rock battlement is estimated to weigh more that 300 tons.

Dressed in full regalia, the honorary Inca delivers his orations Quechua, the native tongue that is still spoken in Andean highlands. On Sacsayhuaman's broad plaza, a fire is rekindled and a llama ritually "sacrificed"- staged out of consideration for tourists. Sounds of panpipes, drums and blaring horns fill the air. Traditional dancers representing the four corners of the empire dazzle the eye with riotous flashes of red and gold.

Celebrations involve music, colorful costumes (most notable the woven aya huma mask) and the sharing of food. In many parts of the Andes, this celebration has been connected to the festivals of Saint John the Baptist, which falls on the day after the northern solstice (June 21).

The formal spectacle lasts just four or five hours, but for an entire week Cusco

radiates renewed life and energy which recalls the glories of its Incan past.