In This Corner, in the Flouncy Skirt and Bowler Hat… describes pro wrestling, or lucha libre, as practiced in El Alto, Bolivia:
‘The cradle of freestyle wrestling is Mexico because that’s where the best fighters were — Hurricane Ramírez, the Jalisco Lightning, the Blue Demon,’ explained Juan Carlos Chávez, promoter of the Titans.But now, he says proudly, Bolivia has its own stable of wrestlers who tussle in choreographed matches. And Bolivian organizers have introduced the innovation of fighting Cholitas, the indigenous women who wear bowler hats and multilayered skirts.
‘I wanted to get people’s attention and fill up the coliseum,’ said Juan Mamani, 46, the president of the Titans and a wrestler himself. ‘At first, I thought of fighting dwarves. I even brought in one from Peru. Then I thought of Cholitas. It’s been popular ever since.’