Intimachay and the Royal Feast of the Sun
How were young boys of nobility initiated into manhood?
Machu Picchu
Intimachay is a special cave designed to celebrate and observe the Royal Feast of the Sun. This festival was only to be celebrated by nobility in the Incan month of Capac Raymi and was associated with the December solstice. The festival would begin earlier in the month and would conclude on the solstice. On this day, boys of nobility would be initiated into manhood by conducting an ear-piercing ritual as they watched the sun rise from within the cave. Architecturally, Intimachay is the most significant structure located at Machu Picchu. Its entrances, walls, steps and windows are all comprised with some of the finest masonry found in Incan Empire. The cave also includes a unique tunnel-like window which cannot be found in any other Incan structure. This window was strategically constructed to only allow sunlight into the cave for a span of several days around the time of the December solstice. For this reason, the cave was inaccessible for much of the year. Intimachay is located on the eastern side of Machu Picchu, just north of the "Condor Stone." Many of the caves surrounding this area were prehistorically used as tombs, yet there is no evidence to suggest that it too was a burial ground.