La Paz

La Paz is the seat of government of Bolivia. It is the third-most populous city in the country, with over 750,000 people living there. The nearby city of El Alto and smaller towns around it make up a larger area with more than 2 million people. La Paz sits in a valley surrounded by high mountains, including the snow-covered Illimani. At about 3,650 meters above sea level, it is the highest administrative capital city in the world.

The city was founded in 1548 by Spanish explorers as a place for trade between important mining towns. Over the years, La Paz has been the center of many important events, including fights for independence from Spain. Today, it is where the Bolivian government works, including the presidential palace called the Palacio Quemado and the country's legislature, the Plurinational Legislative Assembly.

La Paz is also a cultural hub. It has historic churches and buildings from colonial times, such as the San Francisco Church and the Metropolitan Cathedral. The city is famous for its busy markets, including the Witches' Market, and its lively nightlife. One of its most unique features is the world's largest urban cable car network, offering amazing views of the city and the surrounding mountains.

Name

The Spanish explorers founded the city in 1548 and named it Nuestra Señora de La Paz, which means Our Lady of Peace. They chose this name to celebrate peace after a rebellion led by Gonzalo Pizarro a few years before.

Later, in 1825, after a big battle that helped Bolivia become independent from Spain, the city’s name changed to La Paz de Ayacucho, meaning The Peace of Ayacucho. Some people have suggested calling the city by its old Aymara name, Chuquiago Marka, which means “gold farm.”

History

Main article: History of La Paz

This area was once home to an Inca city along an important trading route.

The Spanish arrived in the region in 1535 but found La Paz in 1548. The city was moved to a better valley spot. It was officially founded on October 20, 1548, by Alonso de Mendoza. Over time, La Paz grew and became important.

In 1809, people in La Paz began fighting for independence from Spain. This was a big step toward freedom for South America. After Bolivia became independent, La Paz became the main government seat in 1898, even though another city, Sucre, kept some important roles.

Geography

La Paz is located in the valleys of the Andes, close to the Eastern split of the Altiplano region. The city is near the Cordillera Real mountain range, which includes famous peaks like Illimani.

La Paz is built in a canyon carved by the Choqueyapu River, which now flows mostly under buildings. The main street, called the Prado, runs through the downtown area. The city's geography, especially its high altitude, affects where people live. Wealthier residents stay in lower central areas, while middle-class people live in tall buildings near the center. Those with lower incomes often live in simple houses on the surrounding hills.

Climate

See also: Rainy season in the Altiplano

La Paz is very high up, more than 4,000 meters above sea level, which makes its climate cool. Even though it is close to the equator, temperatures can get quite cold, especially at night. Sometimes there is a light dusting of snow in winter, but it usually melts by noon.

In the lower parts of the city, around 3,600 meters, it is a bit warmer. Summers are rainy, and heavy rains can sometimes cause mudslides. The rainiest month is January, while the driest months are June and July.

Districts and neighborhoods

Main neighborhoods and zones

San Jorge

San Jorge is a major residential and diplomatic area in La Paz. It was once one of the most exclusive neighborhoods and the financial center of the city. Today, it is home to some of Bolivia's tallest buildings and many expensive offices, restaurants, museums, and bookstores. Important embassies and international offices are also located here.

Sopocachi

Sopocachi is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods, just 10 minutes from the city center. It has kept its residential character but has grown with new shops and businesses around Abaroa Square.

San Pedro

San Pedro, located near the Choqueyapu River, is full of shops and small businesses. It is famous for its Rodriguez Market and has many auto repair shops.

Centro

The downtown area of La Paz is the city's center, with main roads and the headquarters of many important banks and companies.

Casco Viejo

Casco Viejo is the historic center of La Paz. It has museums, hotels, shops, and important buildings like the Government Palace and the National Congress, located in Plaza Murillo.

Miraflores

Miraflores is a residential area that has become a major recreational center. It has universities, hospitals, and a large stadium.

Northern District

The Northern District has a lot of food industry activity and connects La Paz with El Alto.

Southern District

The Southern District is an area of steady growth and expansion. It is now the second commercial and financial center of the city, with many international companies and La Paz's biggest shopping mall.

Cityscape

A beautiful view of La Paz can be seen at sunset from the "Killi Killi" lookout. The city has many interesting sights to explore and offers a special atmosphere as the sun sets.

Colonial architecture

La Paz has many old buildings from the time when Spain ruled Bolivia, especially near Plaza Murillo. However, many of these old buildings are falling apart because people do not have enough money to fix them up. Since it costs a lot to keep these old buildings, some people choose to tear them down and build new, modern ones instead. There are plans to restore some of these old buildings, but it is still not clear what will happen to them in the future.

Economy

La Paz's economy has grown a lot in recent years because the country has become more stable. In the past, Bolivia had trouble with money and many people worked without official jobs. You can see this today in the many small shops and markets found all around the city.

La Paz is very important for making things that people in Bolivia use. Most of the factories in Bolivia are near La Paz. These factories make food, clothes, building supplies, and tools. For many years, Bolivia's economy depended a lot on tin, which is a type of metal. La Paz watched the price of tin closely because it was very important for the country's money.

Sports

The most popular sport in La Paz, just like in the rest of Bolivia, is football. Three main teams play in the top league: Bolívar, The Strongest, and Club Always Ready. The match between Bolívar and The Strongest is called the Clásico Paceño, and it is considered the most important football rivalry in Bolivia. In 2012, this match was named one of the 120 official club derbies worldwide by FIFA.

These teams usually play their home games at the Hernando Siles Stadium, which was opened in 1930. It can hold 41,000 people and is the biggest football stadium in Bolivia. The stadium is in the Miraflores area and sits at an altitude of 3,577 meters above sea level.

La Paz has also hosted big football events, including two editions of the Copa América in 1963 and 1997.

Other sports practiced in the city include tennis, swimming, athletics, golf, racquetball, and equestrian sports. Martial arts, cycling, and volleyball are also popular. New sports like mountain biking and trail running are growing in popularity, with many races held each year.

Education

La Paz is home to some of Bolivia's most important universities.

Tourism

La Paz is a key cultural hub in Bolivia. The city is home to several historic cathedrals from colonial times, such as the San Francisco Cathedral and the Metropolitan Cathedral, which sits on Murillo Square. This square is also where the country's political and administrative powers are based. You can find many museums throughout the city, especially along Jaén Street, which still has its original Spanish-style design and hosts ten museums.

The Bolivian government's main building, called the "Burnt Palace," is located on Murillo Square. It has caught fire several times over the years but has been restored each time, keeping its famous name.

• The preserved home of Pedro Domingo Murillo, a hero from the 1809 independence revolution, now serves as a museum. It features furniture, textiles, and colonial-era art.
• The Museo Costumbrista shows ceramic dolls dressed in old-fashioned clothes that illustrate life in the early 1800s, along with photographs of historic La Paz.
• The National Museum of Archaeology displays artifacts from the Tiawanaku culture.
• The Museum of the Litoral Coastal Region exhibits items from the 1879 war when Bolivia lost its sea coast to Chile.
• The Gold Museum showcases pre-Conquest works made from gold, silver, and copper.
• The Ethnography and Folklore Museum, housed in an 18th-century building, presents customs and art from the Chipayas and Ayoreos ethnic groups.
• The Museum of Charango is located on Calle Linares and features many charangos and other traditional instruments.
• The Natural History Museum has exhibits about Bolivian paleontology, geology, zoology, and plants.
• The Marina Nuñez del Prado House Museum displays sculptures with Quechua and Aymara themes by the Bolivian artist Marina Nuñez del Prado.

• The National Art Museum, found on Calle Comercio in a palace built in 1775, displays works by artists such as Melchor Perez de Holguín and Marina Nuñez del Prado.
• The Witches' Market sells herbs, remedies, and other items used in Aymara traditions.
• The Feria de Alasitas fair takes place for two weeks each year starting on January 24. The highlight is a small god of abundance called Ekeko, meaning "dwarf" in Aymara.
• The San Francisco Cultural Center Museum

Churches and cathedrals

• The Metropolitan Cathedral, built in 1835, is located next to the Presidential Palace on Murillo Square.
• The San Francisco Church was founded in 1548 and rebuilt in 1784.
• The San Jose of the Recoleta Church was founded in 1896 and finished in 1930.
• The Parroquia Señor de la Exaltación was founded in 1956.

Other attractions

• The Bolivian Presidential Palace, also called the "Burned Palace".
• Central Urban Park
• Valle de la Luna (Bolivia)
• El Montículo
• Mirador Laikakota
• Mirador Killi Killi

Culture

La Paz is an important cultural, historical, and political center of Bolivia. Its special location in an Andean valley, high above sea level, has helped shape the city's unique character and traditions. Over time, La Paz has become a place where Andean traditions, colonial history, and modern life come together.

The city has many museums, like the National Museum of Art and the Museum of Ethnography and Folklore, which show art and history from long ago to today. One famous event is the Gran Poder procession, recognized by UNESCO in 2019, where people dance in colorful costumes to celebrate a mix of Indigenous and modern traditions.

La Paz also has many fairs and festivals. The Gran Poder parade is a big folkloric celebration with traditional Bolivian dances. The “Sunday Fair” on El Prado boulevard is a nice place for families to enjoy art and performances.

The food in La Paz is very diverse. You can find many tasty dishes, from local favorites like salteña and papa rellena to foods from all over Bolivia and other countries. Street food is very popular, and La Paz was even featured in a Netflix series called 'Street Food: Latin America'.

La Paz has a long history of making beautiful textiles. The city's textile artists create designs with bright colors and patterns, using special techniques passed down for generations. Traditional clothes like the poncho and aguayo are still made and worn today, showing the area's rich cultural heritage.

The city hosts many festivals throughout the year, each with its own special traditions, dances, and celebrations.

Transportation

Public transportation is the main way people get around in La Paz. Most residents use buses, minibuses, or taxis to travel within the city. There are many transportation groups that help manage these services.

La Paz has an important highway that connects it to the nearby city of El Alto. This highway also leads to the El Alto International Airport, which is one of the highest airports in the world. The airport has flights to many places, including Bogotá, Lima, and Santiago.

The city also has a special bus service called PumaKatari, which helps people travel to farther parts of La Paz. There is also a big cable car system called Mi Teleférico that links La Paz and El Alto. This cable car is very long and helps many people travel quickly between the two cities.

Communications and media

La Paz has many ways for people to talk to each other and get news. A company called ECOBOL runs the postal service from there. Another big company, Entel, gives people phone, internet, cell phone, and other services. There are also many newspapers you can read, like Página Siete, La Razon, El Diario, La Prensa, Jornada, and El Alteño.

La Paz has 18 television channels. Some of the main ones are Unitel, ATB Bolivia, Red Uno, Bolivision, and Red PAT. Two local companies offer cable television services: Multivision and Cotel TV. The area code for La Paz is 2, and the country code for Bolivia is 591.

Water supply

The water in La Paz is at risk because of climate change, which causes glaciers to melt. The city gets its drinking water from three systems: El Alto, Achachicala, and Pampahasi. La Paz shares the El Alto system with the nearby city of El Alto. All three systems depend on glaciers and rivers in the Cordillera mountains. About 20–28% of the water comes from glaciers, with the rest from rain and snow. As glaciers melt because of climate change, they may cause more water to be available in dry seasons at first, but later, there may be much less water when the glaciers disappear completely. One small glacier near El Alto disappeared in 2008. Experts say that reducing water loss is the best short-term plan to handle water scarcity. New water sources farther north are possible but costly and also affected by melting glaciers.

International relations

La Paz is part of the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities from October 12, 1982.

La Paz is also a member of Merco Ciudades, a group of cities within Mercosur, since 1999.

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in South America

La Paz is twinned with:

• Asunción, Paraguay
• Bogotá, Colombia
• Bonn, Germany
• Canelones, Uruguay
• Havana, Cuba
• Libertador (Caracas), Venezuela
• Montevideo, Uruguay
• Moscow, Russia
• Quito, Ecuador
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• São Paulo, Brazil
• Taipei, Taiwan
• Zaragoza, Spain

Notable people

La Paz has been home to many important people from different fields. Some well-known individuals from La Paz include:

• Luis Arce (born 1963), a politician
• Alcides Arguedas (1879–1946), a writer and philosopher
• Yolanda Bedregal (1916–1999), a poet and novelist known as Yolanda de Bolivia
• Armin Franulic (1943–2021), a rally driver
• Rodolfo Illanes (1958–2016), a lawyer and politician
• Carlos Mesa (born 1953), a former president of Bolivia
• Víctor Montoya (born 1958), a writer
• Daniel Nuñez del Prado (1840–1891), a Secretary of State, freedom fighter, and doctor
• Wilfred von Oven (1912–2008), a press officer and journalist
• Verona Pooth (born 1968), a German presenter and businesswoman
• Andrés de Santa Cruz (1792–1865), a president of Peru and Bolivia
• Luis Adolfo Siles Salinas (1925–2005), a lawyer, politician, and former President of Bolivia
• Alberto Villalpando (born 1940), a composer
• Emilio Villanueva (1882–1970), an architect

Image gallery

Here are some pictures showing different parts of La Paz:

• Plaza Murillo with Government and Legislative Palaces in the background.
• Titicaca Lake near La Paz with the Andes in the background.
• Calle Jaén.
• Buildings in La Paz.
• La Paz at night.
• Skyline of the Calacoto neighborhood
• Skyline of Downtown La Paz
• Historic buildings in La Paz