THE INTI RAYMI SACRED RITUAL Part One

The 'Feast of the Sun" or "Inti Raymi" was the most important, biggest, magnificent and spectacular festivity carried out in the INCA Times.

The reason was to worship  the "APU INTI" (Sun God). Every year, the celebration was performed on JUNE 21, that is, IN THE WINTER SOLSTICE of the SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, in the great Main Plaza of CUZCO city.

Since the INCAS considered themselves descendants of the Sun, the worship had to be done annually. The Festivity was carried out by THE END OF THE POTATO and MAIZE HARVEST. They performed the ritual as an act of thankfulness for the abundant crops or otherwise in order to ask for better crops during the next season. To keep the blessing and asking the Sun not to abandon its children, the quechuas performed diverse rituals, given the fact that during the solstices the Sun is located in the farthest point from the earth or vive versa.

The preparations were carried out in the CORICANCHA (Sun Temple), in the ACLLAHUASI (House of chosen Women), and in the HUACAYPATA that was the NORTH-EASTERN sector of the great Main Square. 

Some days before the ceremony, all the population had to practice fasting and sexual abstinence. Before dawn on JUNE 21st, the Cuzquenian nobility, presided over by the Inca and the WILLAQUMA (High  Priest), were positioned on the HUACAYPATA (the Plaza's Ceremonial Portion), the remaining noble population were positioned on the KUSIPATA (South-Western portion).

The MALLKI (Mummies of the noble ancestors) were brought and they were positioned in privileged sectors so that they could witness the ceremony.

At SUNRISE, the population had to greet the SUN GOD with the MUCH'AY, that was the act of sending forth resounding kisses offered symbolically with the fingertips.

Then, people sang in tune solemn canticles in a very low voice that after a while were transformed into their WAKAY TAKY (weeping songs), arriving like this to an emotional and religious climax.

Subsequently, the INCA (The Son of the Sun) placed in his two hands TWO Golden Ceremonial Tumblers called AKILLA containing AQHA (chicha= maize beer) which were prepared inside the ACLLAWUASI (House of chosen Women).

The beverage of the TUMBLER in the RIGHT HAND  was offered to the SUN and then POURED into a GOLDEN CHANNEL COMMUNICATING the PLAZA with the SUN TEMPLE.

The INCA DRANK a sip of CHICHA from the LEFT HAND holding the second TUMBLER, and the remaining amount of CHICHA was then drunk in sips by the noblemen close to him. 

Later the drink was offered to every attendant. 

The symbolic performance of this ritual was aimed to maintain the harmonic energy placed in the hand of the INCA in relation to the cosmic energy placed in the Sun God by the Creator.