Red tribune at Inti Raymi

Red tribune at the Inti Raymi

The Inti Raymi is a great Cusco event that takes place on June 24. There are three stages where the representation of the festival of the sun takes place: the Coricancha, the Main Square and the Sacsayhuamán fortress. In this last historical setting, the main show is held, the one with the longest duration and where you enter with a tourist ticket. The visitor must choose between three types of tribunes: green, orange or red. Why choose this last type of ticket? Learn more!

The Inti Raymi show at the fortress of Sacsayhuaman

The Inti Raymi was an Inca religious festival that remains in force to this day, after more than five hundred years . Inti means ‘sun’ (the supreme god of the Incas) while raymi means ‘party’. Both are Quechua words, the language that the Incas spoke and that continues to be spoken in Cusco today.

This festival was the most important in the Inca calendar. The Incas worshiped the sun on approximately June 24, when the star is closest to the sun in the southern hemisphere. Knowing the position of the stars and the sun, the Incas celebrated the proximity of the sun through a massive religious festival in two important public spaces: the esplanade of Coricancha (the Temple of the Sun) and Huacaypata (the main square where army victories and other civic and religious ceremonies were celebrated).

The chronicles have indicated that the festival had great importance because it had the participation of the Inca himself who led the ceremony accompanied by the high priest (willaq umo), his wife (the coya), his generals and representatives from each region of the vast Inca empire.

The ceremony included the sacrifice of llamas, offerings of corn, ceramics, precious objects and everything in honor of the sun, the god Inti. The population was fed and there was no shortage of fermented corn drinks. Unlike the current Inti Raymi, the Inca ceremony could last several days in which there was great general excitement.

In the sixteenth century, with the Spanish invasion and the establishment of the viceroyalty of Peru, the practice of this great Inca festival was prohibited. The population was punished for secretly continuing to worship the mummies of ancient Inca rulers. Any pagan religious practice was prohibited from the Christian religion. Thus, for more than four hundred years, Inti Raymi was no longer practiced.

However, on June 24, 1944, at the initiative of the Cusco citizens, a recreation of the ancient Inti festival was held. Raymi inca. The new festival had the participation of a large part of the population who sought to vindicate Cusco’s Inca past. The result, after more than 50 years, is a world-famous tourist event where around 500 actors and actresses from Cusco participate.

Today, every year, June 24 is a non-working holiday throughout Cusco. That day the Inti Raymi takes place in three of the most historic settings in the city: the Coricancha, the Main Square and the Sacsayhuamán fortress. The latter is the main stage, where a stage (usnu) stands as in Inca times. There, the main staging takes place with seats for around 3,500 people.

The visitor must choose between three types of seats: green seats, orange seats and red seats. They all offer advantages and disadvantages but allow you to appreciate this great festival in honor of the sun. The Inti Raymi, after more than six hundred years, is still valid in Cusco and Peru.

Tickets to Inti Raymi

Tickets to the Inti Raymi allow you to access the main show in Sacsayhuaman on three stages or booths: the orange tribune, the green tribune or the orange tribune.

• Tickets in the orange tribune – The orange tribune is located in the central part of the stage. It is the entrance that offers the most spaces or seats. It has an approximate price of 195 dollars per visitor. The purchase is made online two or three months in advance.
• Tickets in the green tribune – The green tribune is located in the eastern part of the stage. It is the entrance that offers the least space or seats. The ticket has an approximate price of 125 dollars per visitor. The purchase is made online one or two months in advance.
• Tickets in the red tribune – The red sttribune is located in the western part of the stage. It is the entrance that offers the most comfort since it is facing away from the sun. It has an approximate price of 195 dollars per visitor. The purchase is made online two or three months in advance.

In addition to the three stands for Sacsayhuamán, on the day of Inti Raymi a special stand is set up to appreciate the first Inti Raymi show on the Coricancha esplanade. This show lasts 45 minutes and starts at 9 in the morning.

The red tribune at the Inti Raymi

The red tribune is perhaps the most requested by tourists who want to appreciate the Inti Raymi show in Sacsayhuamán. The reason? The seats are located on the western side of the show, which allows you to protect yourself from the sun much earlier than the other stands.

It is estimated that the red stand has 800 seats available. Attendees can choose between different rows. This stand has the highest prices (along with the orange stand which has a more central view of the stage).

The red tribune allows you to appreciate the Inti Raymi show from a side perspective. However, during and at the end of the show, the actors and actresses are close to the visitors, who can even take photographs with them (at the end of the show).

Tickets to access the red tribune must be purchased months in advance (2 to 3 months recommended). Otherwise the visitor will not find free availability.

Prices

Learn about the prices and discounts for the red tribune, as well as the seats in the green and orange tribunes of the Inti Raymi (and the optional tickets for the seat in Coricancha).

Availability

The red tribune offers approximately 800 admission tickets for the Inti Raymi show in Sacsayhuamán. Due to this low availability, and the high demand for tickets, it is best to purchase a ticket two or three months in advance. The purchase is made online through the official website or with an authorized tourism agency.

Advantages

The red tribune of the Inti Raymi allows you to appreciate the show protected from the intense June sun in Cusco. It is estimated that that day, at 2 in the afternoon (show start time), the temperature in the city of Cusco can reach 24ºC. Solar radiation is very high.

The red tribune allows you to see the main Inti Raymi show up close, from a side point of view. This seat is recommended for the whole family, especially for a trip with children or older adults.

Comparison

Know the similarities and differences of the red Inti Raymi stand in Sacsayhuaman with the green and orange stands:

Questions and answers