| LOCATION |
The party to the Sun begins at the QORICANCHA; after this, the Inka will go to the Main Square and then they celebrate the main ceremony in the plains of SACSAYHUAMAN.
| DATE |
The 24 of June of every year is the celebration of the winter solstice, in other words the beginning of the New Year of the Sun. The INTI RAYMI.
Long time ago when CUSCO was inhabited just by the royal family, the priests and the most important people; the religious celebration was made every year in The Main Square of CUSCO.
The “Inti Raymi” or Sun party; was the biggest festivity and the most important one, it was very spectacular and magnificent, that was made in the times of the empire of the TAHUANTINSUYO, which the religion was based in worshiping the Sun.
The Inti Raymi was made to give worship to “Apu Inti” (God Sun) also known in some areas like “Apu P’unchau” (Day God). The peasants people of the Inca kept practicing the festivity with out the consent of the Spanish authorities, there was a mulato by the name of Garcilaso de la Vega he compile in detail all the events of this festivity in his royal journals. “Los Comentarios Reales”.
Today the Inti Raymi is organized every year in SAQSAYWAMAN, the day of San Juan the 24 of June. This same day is the beginning day or day of the farmer in PERU. Inti Raymi is a festivity establish in the calendar of CUSCO since 1944 thanks to the enthusiasm Dr. Cusqueño. Humberto Vidal Unda.
Now days this representation has a script to fallow, and the festivity is done in the plains of SAQSAYWAMAN and lately also in the temple of QORICANCHA and in the Main Square of CUSCO, from here the royal people leave to go to the plains of SAQSAYWAMAN where they’ve set up all the necessary things to make this festivity possible, there is about 100,000 people that come to see all of this.
| THE FESTIVITY OF THE SUN |
The entrance of the Inka to the Main Square or to the plains of SAQSAYWAMAN was always fallow by a group of ajllas they had to lay flowers down in the ground as they walked, they accompanied by the Pichaq, man that were in charge of making the bad spirits go away. The Inca in all of the acts is in the open and it was always accompanied by the kumillo, or a humpback dwarf that carried the Achiwa, some kind of umbrella made out of feathers that had many colors.
Another part of the celebration in the Inti Raymi, it was considered as the ceremony of the new fire. In this part of the ceremony they had to turn off of the ovens in the city of CUSCO, with the purpose of lighting the new fire, it was given to all the ovens in the city of CUSCO. All of this was because the cooks were experts not only in cooking but also to keep the fire between the ashes.
| ITINERARY |
8:15 a.m. : Picking up from your hotel.
9:00 a.m. : Qoricancha - Startintig point of the Ceremony.
10:00 a.m. : Auqaypata (Second point of the ceremony, Main Square): the Inca emperor and his royal cord get in to the main square, trough the Inti kijllu streed.
13:00 p.m. : Main Point of the ceremony in the Saqsaywaman Scuare diuring 90 minuts, were incas wild celebrate the new fire ceremony the coca live ceremony, before gifts to the for point of the empire, at the riding of future fact.
16:00 p.m. : We return until Main Square.
| INCLUDES |
• Picking from your hotel.
• Transfer to Qoricancha church, Main Square, Saqsaywaman and to hotel
• Confortable seat in one of the best place.
• box lunch.
• Guide english/spanish