La Paz, Bolivia is a city of contrasts—where witches sell potions next to shiny skyscrapers and grandmothers, wearing distinctive Bolivian clothing, sit in aerial tramways that zoom through the sky. One of the most famous activities in the city is a perfect example of all of these juxtapositions—the weekly Cholita Wrestling shows, where Indigenous women, wearing traditional cholita outfits, face off and throw each other around the ring.
If you want to experience this unique show for yourself, here’s everything you need to know about seeing Cholita Wrestling in La Paz, Bolivia.
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What is Cholita Wrestling?
If you’ve done any research about visiting La Paz, you’ve probably stumbled across people suggesting including a Cholita Wrestling show in your Bolivia itinerary (which, in my opinion, is a solid recommendation!). But…what is it?
To back up a bit, a cholita is an Indigenous Bolivian woman of Aymara or Quechua descent, who are known for wearing traditional, colorful clothing. Their clothing typically includes polleras, which are voluminous skirts that are worn over several layers of petticoats, and bombins, which are bowler hats that were initially brought to the country by British railroad workers in the early 20th century and adopted by Bolivian women as a symbol of cultural pride. The term “cholita” once was used as a derogatory term, but, in recent years, has been reclaimed by Bolivian women as a symbol of cultural identity and female empowerment.
So, Cholita Wrestling (otherwise known as the Fighting Cholitas) is probably exactly what you might imagine—think WWE or lucha libre (i.e., theatrical wrestling), but with Indigenous Aymara women that are dressed to the nines in traditional Bolivian garb.
Even though these women are dressed very femininely, don’t show up expecting them to act particularly demure. When my husband, Justin, and I went to a Cholita Wrestling show, the athletes leapt from the ropes, tugged on each other’s braids, and spat beer in each other’s faces. Not exactly what I’d call lady-like behavior!
Shows are performed every Thursday and Sunday (only in Spanish) and typically consist of four matches—an opening act (when we visited, the opener was actually two male wrestlers), followed by three match-ups of women athletes. Each show lasts about two to three hours in total.
I’ve heard that the Sunday shows are typically much more elaborate and action-packed than the Thursday ones. Our schedule only allowed us to visit on a Thursday and, given the absolutely ridiculous show (in the best way possible!) we watched, I can’t even imagine the sheer spectacle of the Sunday ones!
While wrestling shows here were once mostly attended by locals, the quirkiness of the wrestling cholitas has shifted the audience to be largely tourists, although we still definitely spotted some locals when we visited.
Insider tip: Like most professional wrestling shows, it's is obviously very staged and campy, with overdramatized good guys and bad guys. I’ve read quite a few negative reviews about the show, complaining that the wrestling looked fake or was too cheesy—that’s all part of the fun, though!
If you enjoy a bit of cheekiness, I think you’ll absolutely love this show, but, if watching two cholitas throw popcorn at each other in an overdramatic fashion doesn’t seem up your alley, it might not be for you.
History of Cholita Wrestling in La Paz, Bolivia
Wrestling has been a popular sport in Bolivia since the 1950s, but, like lots of things in the country, was primarily male-dominated.
Starting in the early 2000s, Aymara women started to train in the wrestling ring as a way to empower themselves, relieve stress, and fight back against domestic violence. Unfortunately, approximately 70% of Bolivian women have faced some sort of sexual or domestic violence, with some of the highest rates of intimate partner violence in Latin America.
While many male wrestlers initially laughed and pushed back at the women’s involvement, a promoter, with a keen marketing eye, thought that shows featuring the women athletes might bring in a crowd.
And he was right! The shows featuring female wrestlers soon became much more popular than the ones performed by men and quickly became one of the most popular things to do in La Paz for visitors.
Where is the Cholita Wrestling show?
The Cholita Wrestling show is usually located here, which is actually in the city of El Alto, on a hillside directly to the west of La Paz.
El Alto was once quite dangerous and volatile—for example, in 2003, 60 people died here in protests over the exploitation of the country’s natural gas reserves. But the city is slowly becoming more stable and recognized as a tourist destination in its own right, thanks to its funky architecture, which ranges from art deco to Transformer-themed; authentic witches’ markets; and a buzzing culinary scene.
How to see the Cholita Wrestling in La Paz, Bolivia
As mentioned above, there are Cholita Wrestling shows twice weekly—Thursdays and Sundays, starting at around 5 PM.
You have a few options of how to get to a show.
Join a tour
Usually, I wouldn’t say that you need to join a tour to simply go see a show, but in this instance, I absolutely recommend going with one to see Cholita Wrestling, like this option, with roundtrip transportation from La Paz, or this option that includes hotel pickup.
While El Alto is definitely changing for the better, the theater is still in a very sketchy area that you should not be walking around in the dark. And, given how affordable tours are, you’ll probably actually spend more money getting there yourself safely than you would by booking a tour.
Most tour packages include pickup and dropoff in La Paz, entry to the show, a nonalcoholic drink, use of the theater’s bathrooms, and a small souvenir that you can pick, like a keychain or sticker.
This is exactly how Justin and I saw a Cholita Wrestling show and had a great time—we didn’t have to figure out getting to and from El Alto on our own and the package included everything we could have possibly needed to enjoy the show.
By yourself
From La Paz, there are several ways that you can get to the theater in El Alto.
- Bus: From El Alto’s bus terminal, it’s a 15 minute walk to the theater.
- Mi Teleférico: From the Estación Faro Murillo along the Silver Line of the aerial tramway, it’s about a twenty minute walk to the theater.
- Taxi/ rideshare: During our week in La Paz, we used Uber and inDrive to get around. Uber is usually more expensive and a bit more unreliable in La Paz, but was usually our preferred method, given that you can pay through the app itself, whereas inDrive requires cash payment.
Pssst… shows are usually held at this venue listed above, but are also held at other venues in El Alto, like the Multifunctional Center of El Alto. I have scoured the internet trying to find a schedule of where the shows are each week, but can’t find one. Just another reason to take a tour!
Not to beat a dead horse, but I really wouldn’t recommend any of these options that require you to walk around the theater at night, given the neighborhood’s sketchiness. So, if you decide to visit independently, please consider using a taxi or rideshare to get back to La Paz after the show.
Admission to the Cholita Wrestling show is around 90 BOB (cash only!). You should also bring some extra cash for things like popcorn, drinks, and bathrooms.
Tips for seeing a Cholita Wrestling show in La Paz, Bolivia
Bring warm clothing
El Alto literally means “The Heights”, given that the city is built high on a hillside at over 13,600 feet above sea level. Accordingly, it gets quite chilly here in the evening.
The arena the Cholita Wrestling show is held in is not heated and can feel absolutely freezing, so bring a puffy jacket and a beanie (we wore ours the entire time we were at the show!).
Bring extra Bolivanos
I’d recommend bringing extra cash, in case you want to buy snacks or beer, which are offered at pretty nominal prices (e.g., a can of beer costs 20 BOB).
Be prepared if you’re in the front row
If you sit in the front row, you will almost certainly be part of the show, whether you’re pulled into the ring to dance, kissed on the cheek by a cholita, or catch some stray beer being spat out of one of the performer’s mouths.
I hope you enjoy seeing a Cholita Wrestling show—it’s DEFINITELY one of the most unique things you can do in La Paz! Do you have any questions about visiting this quirky attraction? Let us know in the comments below!
