Inti Raymi

Recreations of the sacrifice for Inti Raymi

One of the most important festivals in Peru, and the second-largest in all of South America is Inti Raymi, celebrated in Cusco.

During Inti Raymi, the Inca people would sacrifice an animal (usually a llama) to Inca, Son of the Sun, to ensure good crops in the year to come. Every year, the ceremony takes place on the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year (in June in the southern hemisphere) to invite the sun back.

In 1572, Spanish conquistadors banned the ceremony for being Pagan, and not in line with the Catholic faith, so the holiday went underground. Today, however, a theatrical version of the ceremony is staged every year at Saqsayhuaman. Peruvians and tourists travel to Cusco in the hundreds of thousands every June to participate in the ceremony or one of the many parades that take place in the town center.