The president’s sweater, proudly worn as a testament to his indigenous heritage, is however, only marginally less of an import: it may be made from local alpaca wool but needles and knitting techniques were introduced by the Spanish, with the sweater itself being another British concept that went global along with the bowler hat at the end of the 19th century.
In a sense, the hat choice is the odd one out in the Cholita wardrobe as it was adopted entirely by choice (although the precise foundation myth for the hat’s arrival is disputed), whereas much of the rest dates to the end of the 18th century, under the reign of Charles III, when a law was passed forcing indigenous women to wear traditional Spanish regional costumes, typically those of the Basque country, Extramadura and Andalucia.
Since then women have mixed and matched the various items so that the essential ingredients are: the pleated skirt – la pollera; the petticoat – las enaguas; the blouse – la blusa; the shawl made of llama or alpaca wool – la manta; earrings and brooches – joyas, which can be of considerable value for richer women and an indication of status.
On the streets it does mostly remain the preserve of older women and despite the advancements and Bolivia probably having the strongest local culture in South America, the future of the style may well be more reserved for special occasions than the daily use from which it originated.
