Founded in 1548 as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (“Our Lady of Peace”) by the conquistador Captain Alonso de Mendoza on the site of an Inca village, the city was renamed La Paz de Ayacucho in 1825, in commemoration of the last decisive battle in the wars of independence. The seat of national government was established there in 1898, but Sucre remains Bolivia's constitutional capital, home to the country's Supreme Court; La Paz is the seat of the executive and legislative branches. The Plaza Murillo, on the northeastern side of the river, is the heart of the city and site of the huge modern cathedral and government and legislative palaces. Although few colonial buildings survive, the narrow, steep, older streets, red-tile roofs, many skyscrapers, and highland Indians in colourful dress, with Nevado Illimani (Illimani, Nevado) (21,004 feet 【6,402 metres】) and other snowcapped peaks of the Cordillera Real in the background, give La Paz a distinctive atmosphere. La Paz is the site of the University of San Andrés (1830) and Bolivian Catholic University (1966). The National Museum of Art, a children's museum, the Museum of Ethnography and Folklore, the National Museum of Archaeology, and the Mercado de Brujas (“Witches' Market”), where herbs and other remedies used by the Aymara are sold, are among the city's cultural assets. The city was hit by an earthquake in 1998 that killed hundreds of residents and destroyed many buildings.

La Paz's industries are chiefly food processing and the manufacture of textiles, clothing, shoes, and chemicals. La Paz is connected by railways and highways with Peruvian and Chilean seaports and with Argentina and Brazil. Its international airport is located above the city on the plateau. Pop. (2001) 789,585.

town, southwestern Honduras, at an elevation of 2,461 feet (750 m) above sea level in the Comayagua River valley, on the eastern flanks of the Cordillera de Montecillos. It was founded in 1792 and has been called La Paz since 1861. The city serves as a commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural and pastoral lands, which yield primarily henequen, coffee, and cattle. The town has a sawmill, a tannery, and a liquor distillery. There is also some mining in the vicinity. La Paz is accessible by highway from Tegucigalpa, the national capital, and other centres. Pop. (2001) 16,947.

city, capital of Baja California Sur estado (state), northwestern Mexico. It lies about 40 feet (12 metres) above sea level on sheltered La Paz Bay of the Gulf of California (California, Gulf of) (also called Sea of Cortez) and has a hot, dry climate. Spaniards charted the bay in 1533, but a Jesuit mission was not established there until 1720; it was abandoned some 30 years later, owing to the harsh climate, Indian uprisings, and the loss of much of the local population to introduced diseases. Pearl diving and mining continued to attract Spanish interests, and a permanent settlement was founded in 1811. La Paz became the territorial capital in 1829.

La Paz has been a popular tourist destination since the mid-1970s, when an international airport was completed and the Transpeninsular Highway from the U.S.-Mexico border was paved. Attractions, in addition to its sunny beaches and beautiful bay, include sport fishing (marlin, sailfish, tuna, and others), aquatic sports, and excursions to nearby islands for diving and wildlife observation. Manufactures include plastics and clothing. La Paz is also a commercial fishing port, a regional transportation centre, and a market for agricultural products from the surrounding countryside, including corn (maize), wheat, beans, cotton, and cattle. La Paz may be reached by road and air links as well as by automobile ferry from the Mexican mainland. Pop. (2000) 162,954.