Photo Gallery

Indigenous people flock from all corners of the Andes Cordillera to take part in the Inti Raymi, the great festival in honour of the sun, in Cuzco on 24 June. This girl wears a moss dress and a kind of crown made of agave leaves and shells on her head. - 1969

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Pendant l'Inti Raymi les Indiens, déguisés et masqués, organisent de véritables concours de musique et de danse. - 1969

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Durant l'Inti Raymi on peut voir un Indien déguisé en empereur inca entouré de ses aides. La fête n'échappe pas à un certain romantisme qui n'est pas toujours de très bon goût. - 1969

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Les indigènes ont adopté les instruments de musique apportés par les Espagnols tels que la harpe et le violon. - Festival de folklore Inti Raymi à Cuzco - Indiens de la province de Paruro - 1969

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
La mélodie pleurnicharde des quenas (flûtes de bambou des Andes) s'est métissée, depuis la Conquête hispanique, de harpes rustiques et d'instruments à corde dont les Indiens en poncho tirent une musiquette lancinante. La veille du festival solaire Inti Raymi sur la place principale de Cuzco.

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Chaque année, à partir du 21 juin, qui marque, dans la sierra, le solstice d'hiver, les fêtes solennelles de I'Inti Raymi, «Pâques du Soleil» des Incas, sont reconstituées au Cuzco. Le soir venu, Indiens et Indiennes, en tenue de gala, se livrent entre eux aux danses populaires qui sont plus un rite qu'une distraction.

Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun) - competition for folk groups in the stadium of Cuzco. - 1976

This young indigenous woman is taking part in the traditional Inca ceremony Inti Raymi (the Festival of the Sun), which is celebrated annually on 24 June. Her clothing and headdress have symbolic significance. She is wearing an ornate crown made from dried agave leaves (maguey) and decorated with small sea snails. Her body is wrapped in a long robe made of natural moss. Beneath it, a traditionally colourful, patterned woven fabric can be seen. – 1969

A re-enactment of the Inti Raymi (‘Festival of the Sun’), a traditional ceremony from the Inca period honouring the sun god Inti. Originally established by Inca Pachacútec around 1430, the festival marks the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere and the Inca New Year. The event takes place every year without fail on 24 June. The photograph shows people dressed as Inca rulers, wearing traditional headdresses, colourful robes and carrying ritual vessels. – Cusco – Peru – 1976

Whilst the main ceremony of Inti Raymi (the Inca Festival of the Sun) traditionally takes place on the esplanade of the Sacsayhuamán fortress, the dances and musical accompaniment are often moved to Cusco Stadium to accommodate the crowds, as seen in this photograph, taken on 24 June 1976. The musicians play the traditional Peruvian Andean harp (Arpa andina) and violins to accompany the traditional dances (Danzas) from the various provinces, which are performed in honour of the sun. – Cusco – Peru – 1976

Musicians from the province of Paruro at the famous Inti Raymi festival (the Inca Festival of the Sun) in Cusco. They play a type of transverse flute, the flauta andina (Andean transverse flute), which is often referred to regionally as a pifano or pífano andino. It is traditionally made entirely from local bamboo (caña) or Andean wood. Such rustic bamboo flutes are typical of rural music groups (Bandas de Músicos Tradicionales) in the highlands of Cusco. They accompany festive dances and ceremonial processions at indigenous celebrations. – Peru – 1969

The picture shows traditional Peruvian Andean inhabitants holding so-called pututos (ceremonial wind instruments made from large sea shells) in their hands. The pututo is a prepared conch shell (often Lobatus galeatus) that has been used in the Andes since pre-Columbian times. The instrument produces a very loud, deep sound and was originally used to gather communities, send signals over long distances or initiate sacred rituals. The people are wearing typical, hand-woven Peruvian ponchos with fringes and traditional legwear. – Inti Raymi in Cusco – Peru – 1976

The photograph shows a large crowd sitting on the historic Inca stone walls of the Sacsayhuamán fortress in Cusco, watching the re-enactment of the ancient rituals and dances of the traditional Inti Raymi sun festival up close. – Peru – 1976