Inti Raymi

[3] According to chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega, Sapa Inca Pachacuti created the Inti Raymi to celebrate the new year in the Andes of the Southern Hemisphere.

Since 1944, an annual theatrical representation of the Inti Raymi has been taking place at Saksaywaman on June 24, two kilometers (1.24 miles) from the original site of celebration in central Cusco.

Celebrations involve music, wearing of colorful costumes (most notable the woven aya huma mask), and the sharing of food.

These events primarily take place at the temple of Qorikancha, the Archaeological Park of Sacsayhuaman, and the Plaza de Armas (Main Square) of Cusco.

Situated approximately one kilometer from Qolqanpata, an Inca neighborhood, this archaeological site serves as the focal point for the central ceremony, which includes:

Inti Raymi, Cusco, Huacaypata, 2005
Celebration of Inti Raymi by the Salasaca , in the background the Chimborazo can be seen
1940s newsreel about the Inti Raymi festival (in Spanish)
Crowd watching the Inti Raymi celebration in June 1966 from the walls of Sacsayhuamán
The esplanade of Sacsayhuaman a few minutes before the present-day Inti Raymi celebration