The major sun festival or Inti Raymi is celebrated during the summer solstice of June. They start on June 21 with a ritual bath, which is a purification ceremony that is part of the agricultural calendar and the corn harvest rituals. It is one of the most renowned indigenous cultural traditions for it colorfulness, costumes, music and dances. In this Canton, the indigenous communities celebrate this festivity by symbolically taking over the city’s main square coming in from the four cardinal points, a ritual called JATUN PACHA.

Tasty food and drinks are prepared with the different kinds of corn, as well as roasted Guinea pigs, which are shared between the ritual dancers and their guests during the last week of June.

On the solstice’s eve (June 20), children, youths and adults, specially the ritual dancers, bathe in natural springs and waterfalls in order to harmonize with nature. Through an offering of food and drink and their silent language and meditation, they absorb the powerful magic and energy of the telluric forces sent by the Pacha Mama.

At present, this rite marks the beginning of this festivity and is celebrated in the Cuicocha Lagoon against the musical background of the war chants, the deep sound of the conch trumpets, the harmonious sounds of the flutes, the subtle echoes of the harmonicas and the voices of the guitars.

The choreography performed by the 43 communities belonging to the UNORCAC consists of a circular dance in which the men stomp their feet on the ground. The last day of this festivity only women dance.


JATUN PUNLLA OR CHIEF DAY

The ritual dancers formed in a row make their way toward the main square, keeping a continuous rhythm marked by their incessant stomping and their war shouts in Kichwa. Their goal is to “take over” the main square as a symbol of power while keeping the unity and control of the group.

During the last 50 years, the communities of La Calera and El Topo have been the main protagonists of the square “take over” in this festivity’s chief days, which coincide with the Catholic days dedicated to Saint John, Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and Saint Lucia. The dancers are led by twelve “captains” that represent the twelve months of the solar calendar and are dressed with sheepskin chaps and gators, fringed shirts, hats, sunglasses and the indispensable whip, which symbolizes power and behaviour in the group.

At noon, the dancers formed in unending rows enter the main square and “take over” it. They dance in circles in each of the four corners of the square to the rhythm of the flutes that enable this “human machine” to move in synchrony for 7 to 10 minutes, time enough to get back the strength needed to march to the next corner. In this fashion they go around Cotacachi’s main square three times. Once this “job” is finished, they march back to their “garrison”, the municipal slaughterhouse for the men of El Topo and “La Venada” for La Calera. There they will eat and drink “chicha de jora” (maize beer) and other liquors.

Under the guidance of a master of ceremonies, they share the food and drink that have been placed on top of a cross formed on the floor with the shawls of the dancer’s wives as a demonstration of their gratefulness to Mother Earth and Father Sun.

After a reasonable time has elapsed, the dancers return to the square for the second “job” of the day, a second “take over”, and then is when a ritual confrontation takes place between the “upper” and “lower” communities.


FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

The ritual confrontations that take place between the communities during the Inti Raymi in Cotacachi reveal a parallelism between the historic events and symbolic acts that turn into rituals, in this case as a way to express the Andean concept of dualism and territorial bi-partition.

The Spanish evangelists used the ancient Indian rituals strategically. The catholic churches were built on top of the Indian temples. This is why it is so important for the indigenous peoples to carry out their rituals in their original sacred places which were taken over by the Spaniards to worship the Christian god, such as the hacienda chapels or the town squares. It could also be interpreted as a superb way to assert the identity of a people that is still cosmologically free.

The social context in which foreign festivities such as Saint Peter’s Day, Corpus Cristi or Saint John’s Day take place is one formed by the Indian people’s identity symbols, which are validated in the day-to-day life. This happens throughout the Andean region. The symbolic actions performed by the Inti Raymi dancers create the ideal circumstances to put into practice and reveal the Andean concepts of reciprocity and redistribution of wealth.

This festivity serves to alleviate tensions between communities and to strengthen the family relationships. The ritual confrontations between the “upper” and “lower” communities confirm the existence of the Andean “dual” or “bipartite” concept of the territory.

Although the idea that Indians attach more importance to the festive component of this festivity can be partially true, but is incomplete and superficial. The religious and symbolic component is more important that the enjoyment aspects alone. The religious components of the festivity (though not necessarily Christian) will always be a privileged opportunity to create symbols and to preserve the collective memory.