The fighting cholitas: Meet the Bolivian women who wrestle in petticoats

Professional wrestling is as known for its costumes and gimmicks as it is for the combat itself. But in La Paz, Bolivia, the famed fighting cholitas bring a whole new level of theater and surprise to the ring.

Blending WWE and the Mexican lucha libre, these indigenous women perform weekly in the traditional garb of the Aymara and Quechua nations, leaping and body-slamming in layered skirts, colorful shawls and bowler hats.

In a show of power and pride, they’re making a statement against the historic devaluing and oppression of their communities in South America (the term “cholita” itself was once a slur against indigenous women), and earning notoriety – and modest money – at the same time.

Italian photographer Daniele Tamagni, best known for his subculture photo essays and a collaboration with Solange Knowles, saw them in action in 2010, when he photographed them for his series “The Flying Cholitas,” a reference to the movement of their billowing skirts and their dramatic jumps.

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Over a number of weeks, he captured their leader, the formidable Carmen Rosa, and her friends both in the ring and out of it, as they handed out flyers, prepared for their fights and spent time with their families.

Tamagni spoke to CNN Style about what he learned from these celebrated fighters.

CNN: How did you come to photograph the cholitas?

Daniele Tamagni: I was in Bolivia in 2010 on assignment in a small village, very isolated in the mountains. When I finished this work I decided to stay longer to do my own project. I did some research before I went to Bolivia about female wrestlers by La Paz, but I I didn’t know anybody.

Was it easy to infiltrate their group?

At the beginning, it was quite difficult. Sometimes I’d find another group of cholitas who would claim to be the famous ones, but were not. They play – they do the lucha libre for tourists; they perform in an inauthentic way. They say, “If you want us to organize a fight for you, you should pay us, we recreate,” and it was not what I was looking for.

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But then, after a few days, I met a manager who claimed to know the real Carmen Rosa, and he introduced me to her. She’s a really nice woman, a very big woman, and quite old for doing such a sport, but she was the founder of the cholitas.

What I did for the next few weeks was reportage. I was interested in following their everyday lives. For example, Carmen Rosa, she’s a cook, so she has a restaurant for street food.

Courtesy Daniele Tamagni

Daniele Tamagni first photographed Congo's smartly dressed sapeurs for his book "Gentlemen of Bacongo."

Courtesy Daniele Tamagni

Dressed in bright colors and expensive, often European suits, they stand out in neighborhoods with widespread poverty.

Courtesy Daniele Tamagni

Creative use of bright color, prints, and designer logos can signify status in modern Cuba, Antonio Eligio writes in "Fashion Tribes," featuring the photography of Italian Daniele Tamagni.

Courtesy Daniele Tamagni

"These preferences denote identification with cosmopolitan and urban values, and they speak to the eagerness of some young segments of the population to feel integrated into the cultural world of capitalism," Eligio writes.

Courtesy Daniele Tamagni

The wrestling Flying Cholitas juxtapose their dangerous moves with traditional feminine garb.

Courtesy Daniele Tamagni

Their outfits are often made from fine, flashy materials and finished with intricate embroidery. In wearing traditional clothes, they hope to distinguish themselves from women who have given themselves to Western standards of beauty, behavior and dress.

Courtesy Daniele Tamagni

South Africa's DIY fashion crews compete to have the best dancers and personal style.

Courtesy Daniele Tamagni

Each crew has their own unique aesthetic. Smarteez Crew, one of the best, is known for refined style that combine vintage clothing with items found at flea markets.

Courtesy Daniele Tamagni

Botswana's Afrometals combine cowboy and heavy metal influences with African accents. As is the case elsewhere, the community considers personal style as important an identifier the music itself.

Courtesy Daniele Tamagni

For Senegalese dirriankhes, seduction is the ultimate art form. Clothes, fragrance and hair are all meant to draw in the attention of suitors and admiration of other women.

daniele tamagni

The younger disquettes are similarly focused on seduction. However, they're more likely to pursue modeling and beauty pageants, and mimic more Western beauty standards.

Do you remember your first fight?

The first time, it was in a school. The money they got from the fighting was to restore the toilets in the school, so there was participation of all the community.

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It’s something different than the traditional wrestling, something more real, in which (every cholita) has a role and a part. Carmen Rosa is the leader, the best one, and her best friend is Julia la Paceña, who was more technical – she does the most jumping.

It’s like theater. The wrestlers are more performers. Their dream is to become superstars, (making) money and the possibility to earn more. They are really humble people, but really passionate about what they do.

What did you admire about the fighting cholitas outside of the ring?

At the time, I thought it was interesting that what I did was not just images of the sport. The personality of these women is very strong.

What was fascinating was their attention to elegance, to their indigenous roots, and the attention they give to the style of dressing. As a photographer, I focus a lot on subcultures, on fashion as a weapon to stand out, to perform, and this is what they do.

The cholitas are indigenous women who, before, were neglected, and now (through wrestling), they gain more power.