In Bolivia’s scrappy highlands, proud Indigenous Cholas take the runway by storm

Associated Press

VIACHA, Bolivia (AP) — In the huddled market stalls, sprawling farms and pulsing parties of Viacha, a scrappy town southeast of Bolivia’s capital, it’s typical for women to sport bowler hats, tiered skirts and fringed shawls. What’s less typical is for these outfits — worn by “Cholas,” Andean Indigenous women from the highland Altiplano — to make their way onto the fashion stage. But late Friday in Viacha, some 13 miles from Bolivia’s capital of La Paz, awe-struck teenage boys and proud mothers throbbed the main square as the town’s dirt roadway was transformed into a runway for the first time, highlighting the culture of Indigenous Aymara.