[lwptoc]
La Paz, formally known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (English: Our Lady of Peace), and also known in Aymara as Chuqi Yapu (Chuquiago), is the capital of Bolivia’s Plurinational State. La Paz is the third-most populated city in Bolivia, with an estimated 789,541 people in 2015. (after Santa Cruz de la Sierra and El Alto). With a population of 2.3 million, its metropolitan area, comprised of La Paz, El Alto, and Viacha, is Bolivia’s most populated urban region. Additionally, it serves as the capital of the La Paz Department. The city, situated in western Bolivia, 68 kilometers (42 miles) southeast of Lake Titicaca, is built in a canyon formed by the Choqueyapu River and rests in a bowl-shaped depression surrounded by the altiplano’s high mountains. The city is dominated by the towering triple-peaked Illimani, which is perpetually snow-covered and visible from many sections of the city. At about 3,650 meters (11,975 feet) above sea level, La Paz is the world’s highest capital city. La Paz has an uncommon subtropical highland climate due to its elevation, with wet summers and dry winters.
La Paz was founded on October 20, 1548, by Spanish conquistador Captain Alonso de Mendoza on the site of the Inca settlement of Laja as a connecting point for the commercial routes leading from Potos and Oruro to Lima; the city’s original name was Nuestra Seora de La Paz (meaning Our Lady of Peace), in commemoration of the restoration of peace following Gonzalo Pizarro’s and fellow conquistadors’ insurrection The city was then relocated to its current position in the Chuquiago Marka valley. La Paz was formerly governed by Spain as part of the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata. Since its founding, the city has witnessed numerous revolts, the most notable of which occurred in 1781, when indigenous leader and independence activist Túpac Katari sieged the city for six months, and on July 16, 1809, when Bolivian patriot Pedro Domingo Murillo ignited a revolution of independence, thereby initiating the Spanish American Wars of Independence.
La Paz is home to the Palacio Quemado, the Presidential Palace and headquarters of Bolivia’s executive authority, as well as the Plurinational Legislative Assembly and various government ministries and organizations. Sucre, however, is Bolivia’s constitutional capital and maintains judicial authority. Additionally, the city is home to a number of foreign embassies and international missions. La Paz is a significant political, administrative, economic, and sporting hub in Bolivia; it generated 25% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product and is home to major Bolivian firms and industries.
La Paz is also a significant cultural hub in Bolivia, since it is home to various colonial-era structures, including the San Francisco Church, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Plaza Murillo, and Jaén Street. Additionally, the city is well-known for its distinctive marketplaces, most notably the Witches’ Market, as well as its active nightlife. Its peculiar geography provides remarkable views of the city and the neighboring Cordillera Real mountains from a variety of natural vantage points. Additionally, La Paz is home to the world’s longest and tallest urban cable car network. It was named one of the New7Wonders Cities in May 2015, with Vigan, Doha, Durban, Havana, and Kuala Lumpur. La Paz is included in the 2015 Global Cities Index and is classified by GaWC as a global city type “Gamma.”