Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun, was a celebration of the winter solstice and a way to greet the new year in the southern hemisphere. Dedicated to the sun god, Inti, the ceremony was the most important in the Incan calendar.

Over nine days participants dressed up, danced, took part in processions and sacrificed animals in the hope of encouraging a good crop in the coming year.

Though supressed and eventually banned as a pagan rite by the Catholic Church and Spanish colonial authorities, the festival was revived as a theatrical celebration in 1944 and held since every year on June 24. Though Cusco’s rich history means it is blessed with numerous festivals throughout the year, Inti Raymi is the highlight.