Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
LA PAZ
History
La Ciudad de Nuestra Señora de La Paz (the City of Our Lady of Peace) was founded on
October 20, 1548, by a Spaniard, Captain Alonzo de Mendoza, at present-day Laja situated
on the Tiwanaku road. Soon after, La Paz was shifted to its present location, the valley of
the Chuquiago Marka (now called the Río Choqueyapu), which had been occupied by a
community of Aymará miners.
The Spaniards didn't waste any time in seizing the gold mines, and Captain Mendoza
was installed as the new city's first mayor. Unions between Spanish men and indigenous
women eventually gave rise to a primarily mestizo population.
