The cholita wrestling shows happen on Sunday afternoons in El Alto, the city on the plateau above La Paz that is home to most of the Aymara population and has a cultural character quite distinct from the valley below. The venue is a sports hall, the audience a mix of locals and tourists, and the programme is what you would expect from professional wrestling anywhere in the world — theatrical entrances, elaborate feuds, theatrical villains and heroes — with the additional element that the female fighters wrestle in full traditional dress: layered pollera skirts, shawls, and the distinctive bowler hat (borsalino) that cholita women have worn since the 19th century, when it was reportedly introduced by a British hat salesman and adopted wholesale.
The women are the main draw. They are skilled and physical, and the juxtaposition of traditional dress with the physicality of the sport is the point rather than the joke — these are women who have been doing this for decades and have the athleticism and stage presence of professionals. The shows include bouts between cholitas, bouts between cholitas and male wrestlers, and comedy segments. Getting there from the city centre requires either a cable car or a taxi up to El Alto. Various tour operators offer packages that include transport and a ticket; you can also go independently, which is cheaper and not difficult. Shows typically start around 3 or 4pm on Sundays.