VIDEO: Bolivian Cholitas Play High Altitude Soccer
Francis Xavier
A group of Bolivian Aymara women recently played a soccer match at 5,890 meters altitude on the Huayna Potosi mountain near La Paz. Dressed in traditional skirts and blankets as well as their climbing gear, the nine Cholitas climbed the snow-capped peaks near La Paz and played a 20 minute match during a snowstorm. Climbing poles served as improvised goalposts in the snow. Before the ascent, the women made an offering to the Pachamama, Mother Earth of Indigenous tradition, to ask for good omens on their performance. Not sure if they got orange slices or oxygen masks during halftime?
