Chola in a Choke Hold: Reimagining Indigenous Futures Through Bolivian Lucha Libre
Feb 2027 · University of Pennsylvania Press
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An ethnography of the “Cholitas Luchadoras” women wrestlers of Bolivia and how they challenge notions of what it means to be Indigenous
Chola in a Choke Hold grapples with understandings of indigeneity and their gendered aspects through a study of women’s involvement in the world of Bolivian lucha libre. Performing as characters known as “Cholitas Luchadoras,” women don costumes associated with urban Indigenous dress and engage in feats of athleticism and entertainment, dramatizing scripted plots in conjunction with wrestling. Their performances, however, are not without controversy. Some find the participation of women in the sport empowering, viewing the characters as an homage to Bolivian Indigenous heritage and tapping into the strength of the women who came before them. Others, however, view the “Cholitas Luchadoras” less as characters and more as caricatures which rely on offensive racial stereotypes.
Anthropologist Nell Haynes explores how and why the Bolivian women who engage in this genre of wrestling entertainment divide public opinion. Haynes examines claims about the validity of the luchadoras’ identification as—and their right to identify as—Indigenous women and argues that the true issue for many, both for and against such identification, is an idea of the “right” or “appropriate” way to express an Indigenous culture. By concentrating on the pop culture form of lucha libre as an area where evaluations of indigeneity are offered outside of official definitions and sanctions, Chola in a Choke Hold uses both ethnography and analysis of cultural representations to examine how people make sense of race and practices of decolonization in their daily lives. Ultimately, Haynes contends that the luchadoras promote the idea that a global- and future-oriented notion of Indigenousness is as “real” and “authentic” as a notion of indigeneity rooted in the past and tradition. In promoting this idea publicly, the luchadoras both create the possibility of this future and do the work of helping to bring it into being.
Chola in a Choke Hold grapples with understandings of indigeneity and their gendered aspects through a study of women’s involvement in the world of Bolivian lucha libre. Performing as characters known as “Cholitas Luchadoras,” women don costumes associated with urban Indigenous dress and engage in feats of athleticism and entertainment, dramatizing scripted plots in conjunction with wrestling. Their performances, however, are not without controversy. Some find the participation of women in the sport empowering, viewing the characters as an homage to Bolivian Indigenous heritage and tapping into the strength of the women who came before them. Others, however, view the “Cholitas Luchadoras” less as characters and more as caricatures which rely on offensive racial stereotypes.
Anthropologist Nell Haynes explores how and why the Bolivian women who engage in this genre of wrestling entertainment divide public opinion. Haynes examines claims about the validity of the luchadoras’ identification as—and their right to identify as—Indigenous women and argues that the true issue for many, both for and against such identification, is an idea of the “right” or “appropriate” way to express an Indigenous culture. By concentrating on the pop culture form of lucha libre as an area where evaluations of indigeneity are offered outside of official definitions and sanctions, Chola in a Choke Hold uses both ethnography and analysis of cultural representations to examine how people make sense of race and practices of decolonization in their daily lives. Ultimately, Haynes contends that the luchadoras promote the idea that a global- and future-oriented notion of Indigenousness is as “real” and “authentic” as a notion of indigeneity rooted in the past and tradition. In promoting this idea publicly, the luchadoras both create the possibility of this future and do the work of helping to bring it into being.
An ethnography of the “Cholitas Luchadoras” women wrestlers of Bolivia and how they challenge notions of what it means to be Indigenous
Chola in a Choke Hold grapples with understandings of indigeneity and their gendered aspects through a study of women’s involvement in the world of Bolivian luc...
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About the author
Nell Haynes is Associate Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Global Studies at Saint Mary’s College. She is the co-editor of The Routledge Companion to Media Anthropology, author of Social Media in Northern Chile, and coauthor of How the World Changed Social Media.
Nell Haynes is Associate Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Global Studies at Saint Mary’s College. She is the co-editor of The Routledge Companion to Media Anthropology, author of Social Media in Northern Chile, and coauthor of How the World Changed Social Media.
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