As night fallsTeqsicocha Street lights up. Live music burns in the bars and discotheques with a variety to please most tastes and the street fills with people. This street is one of the hot spots for Cuzco’s night life, as well as being busy in the daytime. Its popularity stems from the variety of business it holds. Bars, discotheques, markets, hostals, and others all contribute to make Teqsicocha one of the more fascinating and cosmopolitan streets in Cuzco.
During the day the street pulses with a great variety of food offerings, from Israeli, to English, to International, to Peruvian. In addition, the street offers handicrafts and other stores. It fills with the arrivals and departures of tourists, backpacks or suitcases in hand as they enter or leave the street’s accommodations.
And, as night comes, the bars and discotheques open their doors and begin their routine of drinks, conversation, music, and dance. The business are all side by side making use of a small space shaped in an L where the stairs come down at the head of the busy Procuradores street that connects Teqsicocha to the Plaza de Armas, Cuzco’s main square. From the exciting area turns the corner to Tigre street. Though closely packed, when the lights turn on Teqsicocha changes from a place of more ordinary business to an attractive and fun place where both Cuzqueños and tourists gather. Not only does the allure come from the lights and business, but also from the colonial architecture of stone, adobe, white stucco and tile. By eleven or twelve pm at night it jumps with mystery and energy as the bars, discotheques and street fill.
Just one block away from Cuzco’s center, its main square with its massive cathedral and Inca walls, Teqsicocha is ensconced. Its name is made of Teqsi and cocha, two Quechua words. But there is some debate about their meaning. To some it means “side corner” while others find it composed of the word for lake or water (qocha or cocha) and Teqsi, the word that is the first epithet of the great Inca creator God Tiqsi Viracocha (though the spelling is different the word may be the same because of the rules of Quechua pronunciation). This last word refers to a magnificence of shine and gleam, among other meanings, and so may refer to shining water or to a shining place of origins. Despite the powerful spiritual and sacred significance of this meaning, the mappers of Cuzco’s geography flea from it.
Despite the fascination with its name and the charm of the street, it calls attention to itself more with the great crowds and parties that it offers on weekends. The various venues that are side by side offer a whole range of live music shows, besides the standard happy hours. Among the most well known bars are Los Perros Lounge Bar, La Chupiteria, London Town, GoGo, and others.
More than just a street with an intriguing name, Teqsicocha is an important part of Cuzco’s offerings. At night, it is without equal.
