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The Inti Raymi ("Festival of the Sun") was a religious ceremony of
the Inca Empire in honor of the god Inti. It also marked the winter
solstice and a new year in the Andes of the Southern Hemisphere. Since
1944, a theatrical representation of the Inti Raymi has been taking
place at Sacsayhuamán (two km. from
Cusco) on June 24 of each year, attracting thousands of tourists and
local visitors.
During the Inca Empire, the Inti Raymi was the most important of four
ceremonies celebrated in Cusco, as related by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega.
The ceremony was also said to indicate the mythical origin of the Incas,
lasting nine days of colorful dances and processions, as well as animal
sacrifices to ensure a good cropping season. The last Inti Raymi with
the Inca Emperor's presence was carried out in 1535, after which the
Spanish conquest and the Catholic Church suppressed it. Some natives
participated in similar ceremonies in the years after, but it was
completely prohibited in 1572 by the Viceroy Francisco de Toledo, who
claimed it was a pagan ceremony opposed to the Catholic faith.
In 1944, a historical reconstruction of the Inti Raymi was directed by
Faustino Espinoza Navarro and indigenous actors. The first
reconstruction was largely based on the chronicles of Garcilaso de la
Vega and only referred to the religious ceremony. |
