In 2022, La Paz celebrated its 487th official birthday but the area was inhabited at least 10,000 years ago by Neolithic hunter-gatherers. Its modern history began in 1535 when Hernán Cortés arrived and named the place Santa Cruz. Although the original colony failed, Sebastian Vizcaino established the permanent settlement of La Paz in 1596. Today, the city offers all the modern conveniences you could want without giving up its colonial charm.
La Paz is located on the southern half of the Baja Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur (BCS). Prior to becoming the 31st (and last) state admitted to Mexico (in 1974), BCS was often referred to as “the frontier” by mainlanders. BCS is surrounded on 3 sides by water and La Paz is situated on a section of the peninsula that is less than 60 miles wide.
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