Inti

The Sacred Sun

Domain: Sun, Kingship & Harvest
Alignment: Lawful Good
Element: Light
Relics of Power: Radiant Golden Disk

Speak with Inti

The People

People

Inca

Region

Andes mountains

Period

15th – 16th c.

The Inca gods were worshipped along the Andes, from present-day Peru to Chile, from the sacred capital of Cusco. The emperor (Sapa Inca) was held to be the son of the sun Inti, and the people honored the earth-mother Pachamama with offerings. The cult was suppressed after the Spanish conquest, but persists in living Andean traditions.

The Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun, gathered the empire in Cusco at the winter solstice — and is re-enacted to this day. The Coricancha temple had walls covered in gold, and offerings to Pachamama remain alive in the Andes, with coca leaves and ritual bundles.

The Sacred Scrolls

Inti is the sun god and the most important deity of the official Inca cult, patron of the empire and the royal family. Source of light, warmth and the abundance of the harvests, he was revered as the divine ancestor of the emperors. His gleaming gold covered the temples, for the precious metal was considered the 'sweat of the sun'. As The Sacred Sun, this deity occupies a position of supreme prestige in the incas pantheon. Their domains over Sun, Kingship & Harvest reflect ancestral cosmic order maintained across millennia. In classical iconography, they are depicted with an aura of unshakeable majesty and sacred attributes that inspired reverence in emperors and peasants alike. Their influence extended beyond earthly boundaries, governing fates and harmony between the visible and invisible worlds. For ancient devotees, contemplating their essence was to understand the very fundamental forces of nature and human existence.

Sacred Symbols

The golden solar disk, the rays, the imperial crown and the corn

Divine Lineage

Son of Viracocha; husband of Mama Quilla; divine father of the Sapa Incas.

The Legendary Myth

According to imperial tradition, Inti sent his children Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo from Lake Titicaca to found Cusco and civilize humankind, giving rise to the Inca dynasty.

Legends & Deeds

A celebrated secondary legend preserved in the oral traditions of the incas recounts the journey when Inti intervened directly in the lives of mortals.

Cult & Worship

Historically, the cult of Inti occupied a central place in the religious and architectural calendar of antiquity.

Relics of Power

The great golden disk with a human face ringed by rays, the image of the sun that reigned in the Coricancha temple.

Did You Know?

The Inti Raymi festival was banned by the Spanish colonizers in 1572, but it was revived from 1944 onward and is today one of the largest cultural celebrations in Peru.