The Bolivian city of El Alto hired about 20 Aymara women, or cholitas, to direct traffic in a congested town while wearing their traditional multilayer colored Andean skirts, the Associated Press reported.
Hired by Mayor Edgar Patana, the women have been trained to safely direct cars and buses in the Andes mountain town which suffers from heavy traffic and constant honking, according to the AP.
The women all wear the bright colored Andean indigenous clothing, but instead of the traditional bowler hats they will wear police-style caps, the AP reported.
Sofia Colque is one of the traffic officers working in El Alto and said though some drivers don't obey them, the Andean women make the drivers respect them, according to the AP.
"Some drivers don't obey us and try to flirt with us, but they are making a mistake. It is not easy but we make them respect us," Colque said.
A small-bus driver, Poli Condori, said having the cholitas direct traffic is a good idea, but he doesn't think it will work.
"The cholitas make the view happier, but I doubt they will be able to bring order to traffic. The people get on buses wherever they want; vehicles stop wherever they want. We have bad habits. It is chaos," Condori told the AP.
The cholitas will also help pedestrians and the elderly cross the streets while educating them on the dangers of the chaotic traffic, according to Jose Luis Varagas, head of El Alto's transportation department, the AP reported.
The Bolivian cholitas have participated in several events to break social barriers about their tradition in the past years such as wrestling, making television programs, working in offices and participating in native fashion shows or beauty contests, the AP reported. Some even hold public posts in their towns.
