The city of Cusco, in southern Peru, is celebrating the traditional Inti Raymi Inca ceremony or 'Festival of the Sun' at the Sacsayhuaman fortress with more than 2,500 tourists watching the central staging of the tribute.
According to Gustavo Vivanco Ortiz, president of the Municipal Company of Festivities in Cusco (Emufec), organizer of this event, about 680 artists including members of the army are participating in this year's reenactment of the ancient Inca festival with the Peruvian actor Nirvado Carrillo casting once again as the Inca.
Likewise, Vivanco said that a large number of police officers have been deployed throughout the imperial city to ensure visitors' security during the Inti Raymi ceremony, South America’s 2nd largest festival.
The Inti Raymi was a religious ceremony of the Inca Empire in honor of the god Inti, one of the most venerated deities in Inca religion. It used to mark the winter solstice and a new year in the Andes of the Southern Hemisphere.
Since 1944, a theatrical representation of the Inti Raymi has been taking place at Sacsayhuamán (two kilometers from Cusco) on June 24 each year, attracting thousands of tourists and local visitors.
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Published: 6/24/2014