Bolivia’s Cholitas Luchadoras first began practicing their craft in the early 2000’s when a group of women in El Alto created a group of luchadoras inspired by Mexico’s lucha libre style of wrestling. This group was partly for recreation and entertainment, but also as a way for women who had suffered domestic abuse to take out their frustration and stress. And they haven’t looked back from there, headlining events and even taking on their male counterparts in the ring.
I spent 2 weeks with the Cholitas creating these images. I was influenced by the South American literary tradition of Magical Realism when thinking about how to shoot the project. Wanting to take them out of the often seen, cliched surroundings of the wrestling ring and create something other worldly.