Inti . Raymi

For the indigenous cultures and populations, Inti Raymi represents the “Sacred Festival of the Sun”. Its historic origins are believed to date back to the beginnings of the Inca Empire in Cusco, although it has also been a key event in the northern Andes of present day Ecuador since remote times. The essential characteristic of this festivity is the ancestral Cult to the Sun God. Inti Raymi is the most important festival of the year. It is the time to express gratitude to the Sun for its light, for the harvests and to celebrate the fertility of “Paccha Mama.”

The festivities are determined by geographical and astronomical factors and the location of the Andean peoples, near or at Latitude Zero/Center of the World (closest to the sun). Key elements also include the sowing and harvesting cycles which have been, and continue to be, practiced by the native peoples for centuries, based upon their remarkable knowledge of the movements and cycles of the sun and the moon.

The Inti Raymi festivities last for several days, sometimes weeks, and are a riot of multicolored celebrations, full of music, dancing, elaborate and magnificent costumes and endless symbolic rituals based on ancestral traditions and how the indigenous people of times gone by saw the world. The epicenters of these festivities (but not the only ones) are found in the cities and towns of Imbabura, such as Otavalo, Peguche, Cotacachi and others within the zone, as well as the communities of Cayambe and Zuleta, north of Quito, in the province of Pichincha.

The celebrations include popular theatrical representations, full of color, movement and the presence of mythological characters such as “Aya Uma”, the spiritual leader of the peoples, protector of nature and focal point of the spiritual energies concentrated in the mountains. The most important luminary of these occasions, he is adorned with an ornate, elaborate and colorful outfit complemented by a variety of accessories, each with a distinct significance. His head and face are covered by a two-sided mask, keeping the symbolic aspects of his “double” face in constant view.

This superb theatrical performance includes ritual dances, music, a spectacular pageantry of color emblazoned in the actors’ varying costumes, performed in front of an appreciative public who join in during several passages of the act. One of the most impressive moments is when the crowd takes over the village or town’s main square in groups organized by the area’s communities, following a perfectly synchronized script which includes special movements and chants. This is followed by a ritual fight (simulated, of course) prior to the finale that turns into one big popular fiesta accompanied by music, dancing and abundant food and drink, including the very local “chicha de jora”, a fermented maize-based brew. The climax is an elaborate and symbol-charged fireworks display

...