These Bolivian skateboarders are making a statement with their ancestral clothing—using Indigenous attire to battle discrimination. Video by Luisa Dörr
Colorful polleras are symbols of cultural identity in Bolivia’s countryside. The history of the voluminous, traditional skirts worn by Indigenous Aymara and Quechua women is complex: Dating to the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, polleras wereThe skirts eventually were adopted as part of Andean attire, most commonly associated with—Indigenous women from the highlands. Polleras inspire cultural pride, but they’re also a reminder of rural oppression.
“The polleras are very valuable to me,” says Deysi Tacuri López, 28, another member of the skating group, which was founded in 2019 in the city of Cochabamba. “I wear them with pride.” Deysi Tacuri Lopéz, 28, wants to help popularize skateboarding and create more opportunities for young Bolivians to learn about their roots. “The polleras are very valuable to me,” she says. “I wear them with pride.”Huara Medina, 25, poses with her braids aloft. The hairstyle stands for pride and empowerment in a country where almost half the population has Indigenous roots.
They are my mother’s and my aunts’ clothing, and I see them as strong women … For me, women in polleras can do anything.“One day I was having a conversation with the girls about why all the boys get together to skate—why don’t girls do that?” recalls Santiváñez, who now is studying commercial engineering at the Domingo Savio Private University. After finishing this degree, she hopes to launch an audiovisual production company.
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