During the Incan era, Machu Picchu was a central place for sun worship. As you can perceive, winter was not then a pleasant season for Incas, this is because the civilization held the sun in such high regard. The annual disappearance of the sun was feared because it would mean the onslaught of famine for them. So, they would take an annual pilgrimage to Cuzco to honor the sun god and plead for his immediate return to prevent famine from happening. This ceremony is known as ‘Inti Raymi’ or ‘The Festival of the Sun’ and was perhaps the most important in the Incan calendar.
Prior to the ceremony, celebrants would avoid doing all forms of physical pleasure and fast for days. A bountiful feast of chichi, corn bread and meat will be showered by the Sapa Inca in exchange for a few slaughtered llamas as gifts for him. This is to ensure fertile lands and plentiful crops for the year ahead reason why slaughtering llamas was so important. Since llamas played in shaping the Inca Empire, the Incas hold them with the highest regard and therefore even today you will see many llamas on the Inca trail trek and Peruvians.
However, the celebration of Inti Raymi was banned by the Spaniards when they invaded Peru in 1572, claiming it ‘pagan’ and contrary to their strict Catholic faith. But the event has been resurrected with the hordes of tourists travelling to Peru to attempt the Inca trail and now Inti Raymi takes place at Cuzco every 24th of June. The main starting point on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu for the event is at Cuzco attracting both its fair share of tourists and locals alike.
The event is still authentic as they were back then, a lavish feasts still plays a vital role for the ceremony. Historical Incan figures are played by the locals, and it is a great honour to be asked to play Sapa Inca, or his wife.
Attending the ceremony at Machu Picchu is a great way to feel the authentic rituals since they had long been associated with sun worship and the event is held on the grounds of Machu Picchu during solstices of the sun. Wiracocha as the most significant temple to the sun god was housed at Machu Picchu and therefore Inti Raymi couldn’t be a more apt start to your Inca trail trek.
The highlights of the event occur in the evening although it lasts all day, this takes place when piles of straw are set on fire in honour for the Empire of the Four Wind Directions, the Tawantinsuty. A sufficient feasting follows afterwards and for sure you’ll find yourself enjoying sumptuous alpaca meat and roasted ceviche than chichi and corn bread. If you’re attempting to trek the Inca trail to Machu Picchu the next day, avoid drinking too much on the Pisco sours although drinking also has a large part of these celebrations.
Tags: Festival, Festival of the Sun, Incan calendar, Incas, Inti Raymi, Machu Picchu