Blog I The Greatest Festival of the Sun-Inti Raymi I Peru Vip Travel

Can you imagine being present at a festival that transcended many years from the time of the Incas to the present day? Hello travelers, today we will talk about a very surprising topic about “The Greatest Festival of the Sun – Inti Raymi”.

Table of Contents

HISTORY OF THE GREAT FEAST

Inti Raymi is a Quechua word that in Spanish means “Festival of the Sun” and is celebrated not only in the city of Cusco and Peru, but also beyond the borders celebrating it in Andean communities in countries such as Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile and northern Argentina.

This festival apart from being full of colors, traditional music, beautiful and unique dances in our country, also shows us how our ancestors venerated and had respect to nature through festivals and ceremonies especially to the “SUN” the main god of Inca mythology, that is why we will go back in time and know a little of its history.

Inca Period

In the beginning, this important festival was established by the great Inca Pachacuteq, it was celebrated every June 24 during the winter solstice in the capital of the Inca empire, in the city of Cusco. Several chroniclers agree that this was the most important festival of the empire, as the mestizo chronicler Inca Garcilaso de la Vega mentions that it lasted up to 15 days where it was full of dances and sacrifices, also the chronicler Guaman Poma de Ayala that through his drawings gives us a better understanding of how it was done.

Colonial Period

In this era, the extirpation of idolatry began, a time when the Spaniards forced the Indians to reject their gods, and was initiated by FRANCISCO DE ÁVILA, considered the promoter of the extirpation of idolatry.

The Fifth Viceroy of Peru FRANCISCO DE TOLEDO prohibited any type of celebration towards the Andean deities, since it was against the Catholic faith, but the natives continued celebrating it in secret without the Spaniards noticing, but unfortunately when they were discovered, their gods were destroyed and burned, after this event, the punishments towards the natives were stronger if they did not comply with these restrictions, so the Andeans had to accept the reality and adapt to this new custom.

Nowadays

Finally, it took more than 400 years for the Inti Raymi to be reinstated in Cusco in 1944, on the initiative of the Cusquenian artist Faustino Espinoza, with some variations from the original rite.

Thus, on June 24, 1944 the Inti Raymi festival was staged for the first time in the city of Cusco, this celebration was integrated by an entourage, soldiers, acllas, important characters such as the high priest, the nobility and the royal family formed by the Inca, the coya and the auqui (crown prince), was held in the fortress of Sacsayhuaman and had as guest of honor the president of the Republic, MANUEL PRADO UGARTECHE and thus began with the staging of this great festival in the city of Cusco where to this day they continue to do so.