Inti Raymi - Cuzco

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The Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun) took place in Cuzco on 24 June. We decided not to buy tickets, which ranged from US$45 - $160, but to enjoy what was going on around town. We were woken at dawn by the sound of fireworks but we decided that a warm bed beat a splash of colour!

At 10:00 am we heard drums beating and this time we ventured down to the street. As luck would have it we were only a few metres away from the parade route. We watched the dancers go by in colourful costumes, then the queen, the king’s entourage and the current Inca king, flanked by about 50 policemen.

We rushed around to the main square to view what was happening there. We found a reasonable viewing place and found ourselves standing beside someone who is a tourist guide. He kept us informed about what was happening and who was doing what – a great stroke of luck. He explained that the dancers separated and came in from the four corners of the square. Those directly in front of us represented Puno.

Once the dancers were all in the square the queen entered preceded by her ladies in waiting. Then all the dancers bowed down as the ‘Inca’ (Inca means king, and yes it was the 27^th Inca) entered the square preceded by his advisors.

There was dancing for the king, followed by speeches and the unveiling of the statue of the ‘Inca’ in the centre of the square. There was a final lap of the square before the procession headed up the hill to Sacsayhuaman to continue the celebrations which included the sacrifice of a black llama. The whole event was broadcast throughout the day and it seemed every shop had a television and every television we passed was tuned in to the event.

Following the mornings activities we joined the locals in the adjacent square for lunch. It took us a while to choose the food from a large range of stalls. On the recommendation of some local people, we had fried meat, salad and rice. The locals, who could not speak English, showed us which sauces to add which changed the taste considerably. After our meat dish we walked to another stall and we had a type of doughnut drizzled with honey. The verdict - a tasty and very cheap meal!

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