A jester sprays a masked fighter with shaving foam at a wrestling match in La Paz, Bolivia.
Although I adore Mexican Lucha Libre – and have seen dozens of matches in Mexico City and Puebla – in Bolivia wrestling is raw and untamed.
Bolivian wrestling follows all the conventions of its Mexican counterpart, including outrageous costumes, fan interaction and a strong ‘heroes versus villains’ narrative.
But while Mexican wrestling is slick and well-funded, the action in Bolivia is cheap, amateur and nasty, with stray dogs wandering across the ring, fighters wearing cheesy home-made costumes, and a titanic food fight at the end of the night that leaves everyone wet and sticky.
Matches are staged at the Coliseo Cerrado Julio Borelli Viterito in El Alto, on the fringes of La Paz.
Bolivian wrestling is awesome. If you’re in La Paz, don’t dare miss it.
