Inti Raymi: 15 interesting facts you didn't know about the great Sun Festival

June! it's the month of Cusco! This is the perfect time to enjoy the many traditional festivals that take place in this beautiful city of Peru. But arguably the biggest and most anticipated festival is the Inti Raymi. This is a famous sun festival that attracts hundreds of visitors from all over the world every year to enjoy a cultural ritual full of dance, music, and history. That is why we have prepared a very interesting list of interesting facts that you might not know about this festival.

1. The Inti Raymi is one of the biggest festivities in Peru. According to some historians, it was founded by the Inka Pachacutec (1349-1408 AD).

2. “Inti Raymi' is a runa simi expression (Quechua), the language of the Inkas, which means “Sun Festival”.

3. It is an Andean celebration held in honor of the Apu Inti (sun god), which is held on June 24 every year. Some chroniclers point out that the celebration of the sun marked the end of the agricultural year and gave way to the new agricultural cycle of July, which is why the period between the last week of June and the beginning of July is a transitional interval. The celebration was dedicated to that event.

Credit: Gihan Tubbeh / PromPerú

4. It was the most lavish celebration held in the city of Cusco. Sacrifices were made to the sun to prevent it from leaving Earth and its offspring during its long journey into space, as well as for its return, providing the heat needed for agriculture.

5. The original setting of Inti Raymi was the Haucaypata (Main Square of the city of Cusco), where representatives of the empire came from the Four Suyos: Collasuyo, Contisuyo, Antisuyo and Chinchaysuyo.

6. In ancient times, on the day of the opening of the ceremony, the Inka left the palace towards Haucaypata, with a procession of more than 300 orejones, members of the Inka elite who had this name because they wore large gold earrings.

Credit: Diego Vilca / PromPerú

7. In Inka times, up to 50,000 people came to Cusco from all parts of the empire to be part of the celebrations, which lasted about 15 days.

8. In the past, Inti Raymi lasted several days and began with the winter season. Nowadays it lasts approximately 7 hours.

9. Today, the festival has 3 scenarios for its development: the Qorikancha or temple of the Sun, the Main Square of Cusco and, finally, Saqsaywaman.

10. We are currently keeping this festival alive through a theatrical performance full of mysticism and spirituality. The route starts at Qorikancha, an ancient religious center of the city of Cusco, where an offering is made to the sun god with dancing and singing.

Credit: Avi Multimedios / PromPerú.

11. The Inti Raymi consists of songs in Quechua, typical music and colorful characters wearing costumes of the Inka era.

12. There is a collection of around 300 costumes that the organization responsible for giving life to this lavish ceremony has.

13. Around 750 to 800 actors perform the staging of Inti Raymi.

14. Every year it is witnessed live by nearly 100 000 people.

15. Inti Raymi is not an exclusive celebration of Cusco, as many Andean populations continue to make their offerings every June 24 in countries such as Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, northern Argentina, and Colombia.

The Sun Festival is really a celebration that every visitor must witness at some time. We hope that this June 24, everyone can enjoy it, even if it is from a distance. Let's keep the traditions of Peru alive!

Follow us on social media
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | TikTok | YouTube