LA PAZ

city, capital of Bolivia, west-central Bolivia, situated some 42 miles (68 km) southeast of Lake Titicaca. La Paz is Bolivia's largest city and, at between 10,650 and 13,250 feet (3,250 and 4,100 m) above sea level, the world's highest capital. Visitors, upon arrival, find exertion difficult because of the rarefied atmosphere found at these elevations. The centre of the city lies in a deep, broad canyon formed by the La Paz, or Choqueyapu, River. The city's location, about 1,400 feet (430 m) below the surface of the Altiplano, or high intermontane plateau, affords some protection from the cold highland winds. Recent population growth has spread up the canyon walls to the edge of the Altiplano. Founded in 1548 by the conquistador Captain Alonso de Mendoza as Nuestra Seora de La Paz (Our Lady of the Peace) on the site of an Inca village, the city was renamed La Paz de Ayacucho in 1825, in commemoration of the last decisive battle in the wars of independence. The seat of national government was established there in 1898, but Sucre (q.v.) remains Bolivia's legal capital. The Plaza Murillo, on the northeastern side of the river, is the heart of the city and site of the huge modern cathedral and government and legislative palaces. Although few colonial buildings survive, the narrow, steep older streets, red-tile roofs, many skyscrapers, and highland Indians in colourful dress, with Nevado Illimani (20,741 feet ) and other snowcapped peaks of the Cordillera Real in the background, give La Paz a distinctive atmosphere. Its industries are chiefly food processing and the manufacture of consumer goods. The University of San Andrs (1830), Bolivian Catholic University (1966), the National Museum of Art, and the National Museum of Archaeology are among the city's cultural assets. La Paz is connected by railways and highways with Peruvian (via steamer across Lake Titicaca) and Chilean seaports and with Argentina and Brazil. Its international airport is located above the city on the plateau. Pop. (1988 est.) 1,049,800. town, southwestern Honduras, at an elevation of 2,461 feet (750 m) above sea level in the Comayagua River valley, on the eastern flanks of the Cordillera de Montecillos. It was founded in 1792 and has been called La Paz since 1861. The city serves as a commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural and pastoral lands, which yield primarily henequen, coffee, and cattle. The town has a sawmill, a tannery, and a liquor distillery. There is also some mining in the vicinity. La Paz is accessible by highway from Tegucigalpa, the national capital, and other centres. Pop. (1988 prelim.) 10,965. city, capital of the estado (state) of Baja California Sur, northwestern Mexico. Only 33 feet (10 m) above sea level on the La Paz Bay of the Gulf of California, the city has a hot, dry climate. The bay was discovered by the Spanish in 1596, and early in the 18th century it was temporarily the site of a Jesuit mission. The town was established in the early 1800s and was the capital of Baja California from 1828 until 1887, when the peninsula was divided between the United States and Mexico; La Paz then became the capital of the Mexican region. Fishing (shark and shrimp), agriculture (corn , cotton, and dates), cattle raising, and tourism are the city's principal sources of income. The largest urban centre in the new state and a popular resort, it offers deep-sea fishing, boating, waterskiing and other water sports, and hunting in the nearby mountains. La Paz may be reached by road from Tijuana and Mexicali, to the north, by air, or by ferry from Mazatln, on the Mexican mainland. Pop. (1980) 130,427.