Bolivia's Women Wrestlers

In the wrestling rings of Bolivia, skirts fly as cholitas fight back. Hear a match and see female wrestlers strike their poses in a multimedia event.

More than 13,000 feet above sea level in the city of El Alto, Bolivia, the new sport “Cholitas Luchadoras” or Fighting Cholitas is gaining popularity. Dressed in traditional Andean highland clothing, women wrestlers take to the stage employing professional wrestling stunts including flying at their opponents, dragging them about and jumping them from behind. This short audio slide show is a companion piece to the longer article featured in National Geographic. It is a colorful and humorous piece, but audio interviews with two of the wrestlers also hint at deeper issues of women gaining power and respect in a male-dominated culture.

Length: 2:11

Photography: Ivan Kashinsky

Photo editor: Sarah Leen

Photo coordinator: Elena Sheveiko

Senior video producer/editor: John Kondis

VIEW: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/video/player?titleID=1725276647

SEE ALSO:

Text story: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/wrestlers/guillermoprieto-text

Slide show: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/wrestlers/kashinsky-photography