Inca Initiation Ceremony in Cusco

The Warachicuy, an Inca initiation ceremony, will be performed by 1200 actors this Sunday, September 18th, in Cusco’s Sacsayhuamán explanade.

At the shout of “haylliy!”, victory in Quechua, more than one thousand warriors/performers, aligned just as the Inca army did, will charge towards Cusco’s Sacsayhuamán fortress in a brave attempt to take it over.

This is the beginning of the Warachicuy, the initiation ceremony that celebrated the passage towards adulthood of the Inca aristocracy. As in the old Inca times, the actual representation goes through the three phases of the ceremony: the Ritual stage, the competitive or warrior stage, and the festive or war dance stage.

During the Warachicuy ceremony, noble youngsters got their first Wara (breechcloth), which assured them the Inca citizenship and the eligibility for marriage and war. It wasn’t though an easy task: in order to succeed, they had to pass through severe athletic tests and sham battles. Indeed, not everybody participated. There was a tough previous selection on the base of health tests and physical capabilities.

The ultimate goal of the ceremony was for the young to convince the great Inca that they qualified as public men and could become great warriors.

The rite is accompanied with Andean music and dances and is performed in the Sacsayhuamán explanade (5-minute ride from Cusco city). On the stalls, many street vendors offer traditional food and drinks.

Add comment September 1st, 2005