About La Paz, Baja California,
and Sea of Cortez
La Paz, Mexico
La Paz, which is 40 minutes away by car, is the capital
city of Baja California Sur and the fourth-largest municipality in Mexico in terms of
geographical size, with a land area of 20,275 square kilometers. La Paz is a modern city
of about 250,000, with an active cultural life and many good shopping areas, supermarkets,
hospitals, banks and the Manuel Márquez de León International Airport. The city has
maintained some of the charm of an old Mexican seaside town, unlike some modern
developments on the southern tip of the peninsula. There are plenty good restaurants and
cantinas to discover. However, the city is a historic landmark as well as a tourist
center.
La Paz has a dry, warm and sunny climate with relatively
little rainfall and more than 300 days of sunshine a year on average. Temperatures range
from the 90s (Fahrenheit) in the summer to the 60s in the winter. The city receives
cooling via breezes from Bahia de La Paz and the Coromuel winds.
History
The area now known as La Paz has been inhabited for more than 10,000 years. The explorer
and conquistador Hernán Cortés discovered the area in 1535 and named it Santa Cruz. His
attempts to start a colony there failed, but explorer Sebastian Vizcaino arrived there in
1596 and renamed the area La Paz (which is Spanish for "The Peace").
Several writers have featured La Paz in their books,
including John Steinbeck (The Pearl, The Log from the Sea of Cortez) and
Scott O'Dell (The Black Pearl).
Getting there
The road from La Ventana to La Paz is a spectacular drive, starting from the beautiful
beaches of Ventana Bay, then crossing the immense valley of Los Planes, cutting through a
huge forest of cardon cactus, and rising up over the mountains to allow for incredible
views of La Paz harbor to the north and Ventana Bay to the south. |
