Chango Club: A Social Melting Pot

    Besides the historic daytime activities suitable for all ages in Cuzco, the nightlife showcases the more modern, youthful, and adult side of the iconic city. Looking to experience a Peruvian discoteca, we found ourselves in Chango Club, a nightclub literally underground with all the typical layout of a dance floor and a bar. What made this spot interesting, however, was undoubtedly the social scene. Inside, we encountered a wide variety of nationalities, with people hailing from the U.S., the U.K., Israel, and (of course) Peru among other places. Sure, there were a handful of tourists, but I learned that a lot of the Israeli youth come to Peru to complete their mandatory military service. Even walking over to the nightclub, I noticed several restaurants with their names written in Hebrew, a clear indication of Jewish influence in Cuzco. Overall, these observations solidified my idea of Cuzco as a cosmopolitan city. 

    Furthermore, our group met two Peruvian men who were uncomfortably insistent on taking selfies alongside tourists from the U.S. and U.K. Still, the nightclub seemed to be cognizant of the variety of groups represented. For instance, the DJ often took to playing a mix of both Latin-American and U.S. tracks. Once again, I witnessed how U.S. culture, especially music, has proliferated across the globe, as many songs featured from former U.S. top 40 lists.  Nonetheless, there was no shortage of vocals in Spanish, and ultimately, I suppose the purpose of music in a nightclub is to raise the energy of the crowd. Likewise, I know that many people, myself included, can listen to a song in a language completely foreign (say, a monolingual English speaker listening to an Arabic song) and still appreciate all the musical elements. In this sense, I saw Chango Club as fostering social cohesion. In most other cases, linguistic or geographic barriers would inhibit connection. Yet, people here find a way to make friends by dancing with strangers from entirely different cultures.