
In 2010, Italian photographer Daniele Tamagni photographed the fighting cholitas, the famed troop of indigenous female wrestlers in La Paz, Bolivia.

Blending WWE and the Mexican lucha libre, wrestlers dominate the ring wearing the traditional garb of the Aymara and Quechua nations.

Fighters wear colorful skirts, petticoats, shawls and bowler hats, and braid their hair.

In a show of power and pride, the cholitas are fighting the historic devaluing and oppression of their communities in South America. (The term "cholita" was once a slur against indigenous women.)

"What was fascinating was their attention to elegance, to their indigenous roots, and the attention they give to the style of dressing," Tamagni said.

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

Tamagni photographed the women both in the ring and out of it. Here, Dina La Reina Del Ring sits with her husband, a fellow wrestler.

Carmen Rosa, who leads the group, was the first wrestling cholita that Tamagni was introduced to.

"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," Tamagni said.

"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," he said.


