Inca Era (1430 - 1572)

The Inti Raymi was established by the Inca Pachacútec in the fifteenth century as the most important celebration of the Tahuantinsuyo. It was held on the winter solstice (June 21) to thank the Sun god for the harvests and to renew the sacred bond between the Inca (son of the Sun) and his people. The ceremony lasted 9 days with fasts, sacrifices and rituals in Haukaypata Square (current Plaza de Armas).

Colonial Prohibition (1572 - 1944)

In 1572, Viceroy Francisco de Toledo banned the Inti Raymi because he considered it a "pagan and idolatrous ceremony" that threatened Catholic evangelization. For 372 years, the festival was kept clandestinely in communities far from the Andes, but it disappeared completely from the city of Cusco.

Modern Resurgence (1944 - Present)

In 1944, the Cusco playwright and historian Faustino Espinoza Navarro reconstructed the ceremony based on the chronicles of Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and other colonial chroniclers. The first modern staging was performed in Sacsayhuamán with great success. Since then, every June 24, Cusco celebrates the Inti Raymi as a symbol of cultural identity. In 2001 it was declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation by the National Institute of Culture of Peru.