When asked about the big festivals that take place in South America, most of us would be able to name the famous Carnival celebrations in Brazil, and some of us might be aware of the Semana Santa processions that take place in much of Latin America – but it’s a smaller number who would be familiar with the Inti Raymi celebrations, despite the fact that they’re some of the biggest on the continent.
Inti Raymi, which means Festival of the Sun, is an historic ceremony that was important to the people of the Inca Empire, and it dates back to the 13th century. After the conquest of the Incas by the Spanish, the Inti Raymi celebrations lost their grandeur and then finally were stopped altogether. Then in 1944, the ceremony and celebrations were presented in a theatrical way – eliminating some of the more gruesome aspects of the original ceremonies – based on historic accounts, and they’ve continued each year since then.
Today’s Inti Raymi celebrations are performed by actors representing the Incas, and the festivities have become a major draw not only for people from nearby areas but tourists from all over the world.
>> Inti Raymi marks the winter solstice on June 24th of every year.
The physical landscape of South America is like a tent. It is steep at the top and falls off quickly to the sides. The Andes are the defining feature of the continent. The mountains shape the way people live, they shape weather patterns and they will shape the way you will travel through South America.
At one time, Lima, Peru was the place to be in South America. Founded as the City of Kings by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535, for three centuries Lima was the administrative center for Spain’s possessions in South America.