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Inti Rayme, the most popular Inca party, commemorates the winter solstice. It takes place on June 24th but the party begins a few days before with parade, rehearsals, music and drinking. The city was crowded, people came from everywhere.
On Sunday, the 24th, the commemorations started in the morning, in Qorikancha (Sun’s Temple), downtown Cuzco. The Chaskis (Inca messengers) announce the party beginning. There is music, parade and by the end the Inca salutes the Sun and invite everybody to participate the ceremony. From there everybody go to Plaza de Armas, together with the Inca, the parade and the musicians.
The most important part of the ceremony takes place at Saqsaywaman in the afternoon. Many indigenous tribes are represented by their dances and costumes. Everybody come to Cuzco to praise the Sun. The ritual involves dance, music and sacrifice. The Inca shows up, do his speech, toast with chicha (local drink) to the sun god, to the “apus” (gods, usually the mountain spirits), to the Pachamama (god earth) and then drink it.
There is also a sacrifice of a llama, they take off its heart and loans. If these organs are good, without injuries it is because it will be a good year. The ceremony ends with the Inca speech and then he is carried around the place
Up to nowadays the party is very important to the local people. They come from far away to commemorate it. It is the day they eat a special meal: potatoes cooked in adobe ovens. These can be seen everywhere on the ground around Saqsaywaman. The people get there early in the morning to get a place to see the performance from far away. It is sad to see that the ceremony in attended by the tourist. The local people look from far away because they cannot pay the 40 dollars entrance fee.
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