Cholitas Wrestling in Bolivia

One of the quirkier things you can do while visiting La Paz, Bolivia is attend a Cholitas wrestling match. Officially known as the Fighting Cholitas, this group of female lucha libre wrestlers duke it out weekly in El Alto, Bolivia. Many of the wrestlers have elaborate costumes and wear bowler hats to the ring. With an average salary of $13 per fight, it is not a full-time job for many. Overall, it was equally parts exciting and hilarious. The performers were skilled and we left thoroughly entertained. We'd highly recommend attending a match if you're passing through La Paz.
The Fighting Cholitas Wrestling in El Alto, Bolivia Travel Video Transcript:
Well hello from La Paz, Bolivia. Tonight we're going to a special wrestling match. A Cholitas wrestling match which is a women's wrestling match but before we do that we're going to show you some awesome panoramic views of the city.
So it is time for the big event. We are waiting to be picked up for the wrestling match. I'm so excited for this. I grew up watching wrestling. Like some of my favorite stars King Kong Bundy, Hulk Hogan all those old era wrestlers. So this is actually going to be my first live wrestling match. I have no idea who those people are. A little bit before your time.
So what can we expect from Cholitas wrestling tonight? Well, apparently it borrows heavily from WWE American style wrestling and also Mexican wrestling which is known as Lucha Libre. So there is going to be a lot of theatrics, a lot of entertainment. Not a lot of technical wrestling but it should be a lot of fun. So it is fake? Fake fighting? It is fake but I mean these are talented athletes. They take real blows to the head I'm sure.
So the first match is over. What do you think so far? Well, we saw the men battle it out but I think the girls are going to do way better.
So how are you enjoying the wrestling match so far? It's been awesome but what I don't like about it is the bad guys have lost twice. I'm cheering for the bad guys. Let's go!
And that is a wrap for wrestling. The wrestling Cholitas. What did you think? Yeah, that was awesome. A lot of fun. Definitely worth the money and it is a full night event. We left at maybe five something and we're back now close to ten. So definitely a full, fun night out. Yep, there we go.
This is part of our Travel in Bolivia series. We're making a series of videos showcasing Bolivian culture, Bolivian arts, Bolivian foods, Bolivian religion, Bolivian cuisine and Bolivian people.
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All photos and video taken by Samuel Jeffery (Nomadic Samuel) and Audrey Bergner (That Backpacker).
Music in this video courtesy of Audio Network