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The Winter Solstice in the southern hemisphere and
the local harvests are the driving force behind the greatest, most
majestic pre-Hispanic ceremony to render homage to the sun. Today, the
Inti Raymi festival evokes the splendid Inca ritual of yore, being
carefully scripted by Cusco professors, archaeologists and historians.
The central event is acted out on the esplanade below the imposing
fortress of Sacsayhuamán, 2 km outside the city of Cusco, easily reached
by car or on foot. There, step by step, thousands of actors enact a long
ceremony giving thanks to the sun god, Inti. The Inca ruler is borne on
a royal litter from the Koricancha, or Temple of the Sun to the
Huacaypata, the city's main square, where he commands the local
authorities to govern fairly. Then all the participants set out for
Sacsayhuamán, where the ceremony calls for the sacrifice of two llamas,
one black and one white. The llamas' entrails and fat are handed to a
pair of high priests: the first, the Callpa Ricuy, examines the
intestines to predict what sort of year lies ahead; while the second
priest, the Wupariruj, makes his predictions based on the smoke that
wafts up from the burning fat. The high priests' predictions are then
interpreted by the Willac Umo, the lord high priest, who bears the news
to the Inca. Finally, at sunset, the Inca orders all to withdraw from
the site, and the entire city breaks out into a festivities that will
rage for several days.
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