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La Paz, capital of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur, overlooks a huge bay of the Sea of Cortez with beautiful white sand beaches. Very little is known about the history of its inhabitants: the Baja California peninsula, in fact, has been inhabited for more than twelve thousand years by various populations, but the testimonies they left are limited to the beautiful and well-preserved cave paintings. The few historical facts that we know are that in the 16th century, some semi-nomadic fishing tribes – Cochimí, Guaycura and Pericu – lived on the peninsula.
While in those years, in the Bay of La Paz, notorious corsairs were called in with the purpose of boarding the galleons that arrived to get the water supplies.

The Conqueror, Hernan Cortés, protagonist of fantastic stories like the one told by the Spanish epic poem Las Sergas de Esplandián, organized the first trip to these lands in 1533 by sending ships. Only one went and had no luck.

When the Concepción crew reached the bay, they were welcomed by the Guaycura, the quiet indigenous community that lived in those lands. The Spanish noticed the large pearls that the natives extracted from the oysters of the bay and did not hesitate to loot their villages and rape their women.
The Guaycuras, despite being peaceful, knew how to use bows and arrows and responded to the aggression by wounding the invaders one by one. The few survivors who remained managed to escape.
At that point, Cortés, disappointed by the results of his mission, decided to direct the second expedition himself, arriving at the bay on May 3, 1535, baptizing it under the name Santa Cruz.
Two years later, he left the colony he had founded, overwhelmed by the difficult territory and by the hostility of the Indians who had not forgotten the atrocious invaders.

Finally, in 1596, Sebastian Vizcaíno landed again in the bay, baptizing it this time as La Paz and established a definitive colony.
The Spanish quickly realized the pearl wealth of the sea and exploited it intensively until practically ending the natural production of oysters.

In 1720, the mission of Nuestra Señora del Pilar de La Paz Airapí was founded by the Jesuit fathers and in 1974, the territory was definitively constituted as a State. Since then, this place hasn’t changed much and legends of the pirates continue to spread, attracting a few treasure seekers.

A Jesuit mission established in 1720 was abandoned some 30 years later because of 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.

Imagine a place suspended in time, with starry skies and strong contrasts, deserts where ancient cacti slowly grow, and beautiful beaches with pristine sand that separate land and sea and create dreamy views.
The Bay of La Paz in Baja California is distinguished for all this, and also for the calm waters that embrace all the turquoise tones, nature and its spectacular sunsets. In its waters, there is a protected marine park of incredible beauty, Isla Espíritu Santo.

La Paz is also characterized by its tranquility, as if its name had given it a personality, perhaps because of this, it has become a perfect destination to start a new life or to simply spend a vacation.
The hospitality and warmth of its people, the “paceños”, make this port a comfortable and quiet place.
Where the Malecón begins, perhaps to keep alive the legendary history of the corsairs and their treasures, there is an arch where it says: “Welcome to La Paz, the port of illusions.” It is a message that seems to warn those who take migration to these places lightly.

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. (2010) 215,178; (2020) 250,141.

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