Based on the famed Lucha Libre in Mexico, the Cholitas Wrestling is a steady feature on any “top five things to do in La Paz” list; cholitas being the indigenous women mostly from the Aymara culture.

Bolivian cholitas

Having been to Lucha Libre and thinking that it wasn’t really my thing, I wasn’t so keen to get along and assumed it was a bit of a tourist trap.

But having spoken with some locals I learned that there is more to it than women wearing puffy skirts and fake-fighting each other in the name of audience entertainment.

The group originally formed as a way for survivors of domestic violence to express their rage in a safe space. Over the years it has evolved and is now more about empowerment of the cholitas who are determined to show that they can do anything their male counterparts can (#metoo Bolivia style).

The cholitas, who are known for their strength, stature and style, train hard and the wrestling provides them with an alternative career path and income stream.

Having Lucha Libre in the back of my mind, I expected a big stadium, tiered seating and polished performances. In reality it’s much more low key – but that is the beauty of it. On Sundays the ring is set up in a basketball stadium and you pretty much pull up a plastic seat on arrival.

Although obviously choreographed, there is a lot of ad-libing with the performers coming into the crowd and using whatever props they find at their disposal in an attempt to thwart their opponent – one fight legitimately broke the entrance door to the stadium, much to the audience’s delight!

The ‘grassroots’ set up on Sunday evenings in El Alto

There are also male performers, although it’s abundantly clear who the crowd favourites are.

Jeering, yelling and popcorn throwing are highly encouraged with a strong chance of a beer spit dousing.

Ticket info and how to get there

The wrestling happens on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 5-7pm but the venue changes on each of the days. As at August 2019 the entry cost is 60bs for tourists and 40bs for locals. Most visitors opt to arrive as part of a tour (most commonly 90bs) because they take care of the transport and the area surrounding the venues can be unsafe, particularly in El Alto.

Locations:

Tuesdays: Av. Armentia 746, La Paz

Thursdays: Cholet Havana, Av. 16 de Julio, between calles Catacora y Álvarez Plata, El Alto

Sundays: Coliseo de Villa Dolores, Calle 4 Villa Dolores, between M. Serpentegui and Constantino de Medina, El Alto

I’m always keen to do things without the tour if possible – I normally learn more and save money. And now that the silver teleférico is open the Sunday venue is a lot easier to get to. Just get off at the halfway point on the silver line and it’s a ten minute walk. If you’re going it alone, unfortunately it’s not easy to secure tickets online and you’ll want to arrive at least an hour prior to the show starting to get your tickets. There is plenty of pre-match entertainment so you won’t be bored. Tickets also include a snack, soft drink and a souvenir.