City (pop., 2000: 162,954), capital of Baja California Sur state, northwestern Mexico.
Situated on La Paz Bay of the Gulf of California , it is a popular resort and the largest urban centre in the state. The bay was discovered by the Spanish in 1596; the town was established in the early 1800s and served as the capital of Baja California (182887). When the peninsula was divided between the U.S. and Mexico (1887), La Paz became the capital of the Mexican region.