Editing La Paz (section)

{{Short description|Capital of Bolivia}}
{{About|the city which is the [[Bolivia]]n seat of government|the future capital city in [[Equatorial Guinea]] of a similar name|Ciudad de la Paz |other uses}}
{{Redirect|Nuestra Señora de La Paz|the sector of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic|Nuestra Señora de la Paz}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
| settlement_type          = [[Executive (government)|Seat of Government]]
| name                     = La Paz
| official_name            = Nuestra Señora de La Paz
| motto                    = {{lang|es|Los discordes en concordia, en paz y amor se juntaron y pueblo de paz fundaron para perpetua memoria.}} ("The dissenters in harmony gathered together in peace and love, and a town of peace they founded, for perpetual memory.")<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bolivia.com/turismo/ciudades/la_paz/historia.htm |title=Bolivia.com – Turismo : La Paz |access-date=1 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204224417/http://www.bolivia.com/turismo/ciudades/la_paz/historia.htm |archive-date=4 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| image_skyline            = {{multiple image
 |border        = infobox
 |total_width   = 280
 |perrow        = 1/2/2/1
 |caption_align = center
 |image1        = La Paz Skyline.jpg
 |caption1      = View toward [[Mount Illimani]] from [[El Alto]] 
 |image2        = Noon, Plaza Murillo, La Paz, Bolivia (14689720998).jpg
 |caption2      = [[Plaza Murillo]]
 |image3        = Basilica de San Francisco La Paz (cropped).jpg
 |caption3      = [[Basilica of San Francisco, La Paz|Basilica of San Francisco]]
 |image4        = Linea_Roja_de_Mi_Teleferico,_La_Paz.jpg
 |caption4      = [[Mi Teleférico]]
 |image5        = La Paz - Bolivia OP1.jpg
 |caption5      = [[Miraflores, La Paz|Miraflores]]
 }}
| image_flag               = Bandera de La Paz.svg
| pushpin_map              = Bolivia#South America
| pushpin_relief           = 1
| image_seal               = Escudo de La Paz.svg
| pushpin_mapsize          = 
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = [[Bolivia]]
| subdivision_type1        = [[Departments of Bolivia|Department]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[La Paz Department (Bolivia)|La Paz]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[Provinces of Bolivia|Province]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Pedro Domingo Murillo Province|Pedro Domingo Murillo]]
| leader_title             = Mayor
| leader_name              = {{nowrap|Ivan Arias}}
| established_title1       = Founded
| established_date1        = {{longitem|style=line-height:1.4em; |20 October 1548 by [[Alonso de Mendoza]]}}
| established_title2       = Independence
| established_date2        = 16 July 1809
| established_title3       = 
| established_date3        = 
| established_title4       = [[El Alto]] incorporated
| established_date4        = 20th century
| area_magnitude           = 
| unit_pref                = <!--use "Imperial", if Imperial (metric) is desired-->
| area_total_km2           = 472
| area_total_sq_mi         = 
| area_land_km2            = 
| area_land_sq_mi          = 
| area_water_km2           = 
| area_water_sq_mi         = 
| area_water_percent       = 
| area_urban_km2           = 3240
| area_urban_sq_mi         = 
| area_metro_km2           = 
| area_metro_sq_mi         = 
| population_as_of         = [[2024 Bolivian census|2024 census]]
| population_urban         = 
| population_metro         = 2187223
| population_density_km2   = 
| population_density_sq_mi = 4,820.6
| population_density_metro_km2 = 
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = 
| population_est           = 
| pop_est_as_of            = 
| population_total         = 755,732
| demographics_type1       = [[GDP|GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values)]]
| demographics1_footnotes  = 
| demographics1_title1     = Year
| demographics1_info1      = 2023
| demographics1_title2     = Total (Metro)
| demographics1_info2      = $14.6&nbsp;billion<ref name="TelluBase">{{cite web |url=https://tellusant.com/repo/tb/tellubase_factsheet_bol.pdf |publisher=Tellusant |title=TelluBase—BoliviaFact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series) |access-date=2024-01-11}}</ref>
| demographics1_title3     = Per capita
| demographics1_info3      = $8,400
| timezone                 = [[Bolivia Time|BOT]]
| utc_offset               = −04:00
| coordinates              = {{Coord|16|29|45|S|68|08|00|W|region:BO-L_type:city(816,000)|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_m              = 3,640
| elevation_ft             = 11,942
| blank_name               = [[Human Development Index|HDI]]&nbsp;{{small|(2016)}}
| blank_info               = {{Nowrap|0.827 ({{color|#090|Very High}})<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bo.undp.org/content/bolivia/es/home/presscenter/articles/2016/03/28/para-leer-y-ver-el-informe-sobre-desarrollo-humano.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403135635/http://www.bo.undp.org/content/bolivia/es/home/presscenter/articles/2016/03/28/para-leer-y-ver-el-informe-sobre-desarrollo-humano.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 April 2016 |title=Informe Nacional sobre Desarrollo Humano Bolivia 2016}}</ref>}}
| postal_code_type         = Postal code
| postal_code              = 0201-0220
| area_code                = 2
| iso_code                 = BO-L
| website                  = {{URL|http://www.lapaz.bo/}}
}}

'''La Paz''', officially '''Nuestra Señora de La Paz''' ([[Aymara language|Aymara:]] '''Chuqi Yapu''' {{IPA|ay|ˈtʃoqɛ ˈjapʊ}}), is the seat of government of the [[Bolivia|Plurinational State of Bolivia]]. With 755,732 residents as of 2024,<ref>{{Cite web |title=La Paz (Municipality, Bolivia) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/bolivia/admin/la_paz/020101__la_paz/ |access-date=2024-09-11 |website=www.citypopulation.de}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> La Paz is the [[List of Bolivian cities by population|third-most populous city in Bolivia]]. Its metropolitan area, which is formed by La Paz, [[El Alto]], [[Achocalla Municipality|Achocalla]], [[Viacha Municipality|Viacha]], and [[Mecapaca Municipality|Mecapaca]] makes up the second most populous urban area in Bolivia, with a population of 2.2&nbsp;million, after [[Santa Cruz de la Sierra]] with a population of 2.3&nbsp;million.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Bolivia: Proyecciones de Población según Departamento y Municipio, 2012–2020. |url=https://www.ine.gob.bo/index.php/censos-y-proyecciones-de-poblacion-sociales/ |website=INE Bolivia |publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (Bolivia's National Institute of Statistics). |trans-title=Bolivia: Population Projections by Department and Municipality 2012–2020. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606191939/https://www.ine.gob.bo/index.php/censos-y-proyecciones-de-poblacion-sociales/ |archive-date=6 June 2020 |access-date=29 May 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> It is also the capital of the [[La Paz Department, Bolivia|La Paz Department]].

The city, in west-central Bolivia {{cvt|68|km|0}} southeast of [[Lake Titicaca]], is set in a canyon created by the [[Choqueyapu River]]. It is in a bowl-like depression, part of the Amazon basin, surrounded by the high mountains of the [[Altiplano]]. Overlooking the city is the triple-peaked [[Illimani]]. Its peaks are always snow-covered and can be seen from many parts of the city. At an elevation of roughly {{cvt|3650|m|0}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]], La Paz is the [[List of capital cities by altitude|highest capital city in the world]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destination/bolivia |title=Bolivia Facts |website=travel.nationalgeographic.com |publisher=National Geographic |access-date=14 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822190134/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/bolivia-facts/ |archive-date=22 August 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.amusingplanet.com/2012/07/the-incredible-mountain-city-of-la-paz.html |title=The Incredible Mountain City of La Paz, Bolivia |website=amusingplanet.com |publisher=Amusing Planet |access-date=14 August 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010162136/http://www.amusingplanet.com/2012/07/the-incredible-mountain-city-of-la-paz.html |archive-date=10 October 2016}}</ref> Due to its altitude, La Paz has an unusual [[Oceanic climate|subtropical highland climate]], with rainy summers and dry winters.

La Paz was founded on 20 October 1548, by the Spanish [[conquistador]] Captain [[Alonso de Mendoza]], at the site of the [[Inca Empire|Inca]] settlement of [[Laja, Bolivia|Laja]] as a connecting point between the commercial routes that led from [[Potosí]] and [[Oruro, Bolivia|Oruro]] to [[Lima]]; the full name of the city was originally ''Nuestra Señora de La Paz'' (meaning ''[[Our Lady of Peace]]'') in commemoration of the restoration of peace following the [[Rebellion|insurrection]] of [[Gonzalo Pizarro]] and fellow conquistadors against the first [[viceroy]] of [[Peru]]. The city was later moved to its present location in the valley of Chuquiago Marka.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/La-Paz-Bolivia |title=La Paz: National Administrative Capital of Bolivia |website=britannica.com |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=14 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924104154/https://www.britannica.com/place/La-Paz-Bolivia |archive-date=24 September 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> La Paz was under Spanish colonial rule as part of the [[Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata]], before Bolivia gained independence. Since its founding, the city was the site of numerous revolts. In 1781, the [[indigenous people|indigenous]] leader and independence activist [[Túpac Katari]] laid siege to the city for a total of six months, but was finally defeated. On 16 July 1809, the Bolivian patriot [[Pedro Domingo Murillo]] ignited a revolution for independence, marking the beginning of the [[Spanish American wars of independence|Spanish American Wars of Independence]], which gained the freedom of South American states in 1821.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.boliviabella.com/history-of-la-paz.html |title=The History of La Paz, Bolivia |website=boliviabella.com |publisher=Bolivia Bella |access-date=14 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160901214920/http://www.boliviabella.com/history-of-la-paz.html |archive-date=1 September 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

As the seat of the government of Bolivia, La Paz is the site of the [[Palacio Quemado]], the presidential palace. It is also the seat of the Bolivian [[legislature]], the [[Plurinational Legislative Assembly]], and numerous government departments and agencies. The constitutional capital of Bolivia, [[Sucre]], retains the [[Judiciary|judicial power]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Sucre |title=Sucre: National Constitutional Capital, Bolivia |website=britannica.com |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=14 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810203405/https://www.britannica.com/place/Sucre |archive-date=10 August 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The city hosts all the [[List of diplomatic missions in Bolivia|foreign embassies]] as well as international missions in the country. La Paz is an important political, administrative, economic, and sports center of Bolivia; it generates 24% of the nation's [[gross domestic product]] and serves as the headquarters for numerous Bolivian companies and industries.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.economiabolivia.net/2013/07/24/la-importancia-economica-de-la-paz/ |title=La importancia económica de La Paz |website=economiabolivia.net |publisher=Economía Bolivia |language=es |trans-title=The economic importance of La Paz |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825232356/http://www.economiabolivia.net/2013/07/24/la-importancia-economica-de-la-paz/ |archive-date=25 August 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

La Paz is also an important cultural center of [[South America]], as it hosts several landmarks dating from colonial times, such as the [[San Francisco Church (La Paz)|San Francisco Church]], the [[Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, La Paz|Metropolitan Cathedral]], the [[Plaza Murillo]] and Jaén Street. La Paz is also situated at the confluence of archaeological regions of the [[Tiwanaku]] and [[Inca Empire]]. The city is renowned for its markets, particularly the [[The Witches' Market|Witches' Market]], and for its nightlife.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0530_030530_witchdoctors.html |title=The Witches' Market in La Paz, Spells are Hot Sellers |date=30 May 2003 |website=news.nationalgeographic.com |publisher=National Geographic |access-date=14 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505205200/https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0530_030530_witchdoctors.html |archive-date=5 May 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/nightlife-cities/ |title=Top 10 Nightlife Cities |website=travel.nationalgeographic.com |date=22 January 2015 |publisher=National Geographic |access-date=14 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812134753/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/nightlife-cities/ |archive-date=12 August 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Its topography offers views of the city and the surrounding mountains of the [[Cordillera Real (Bolivia)|Cordillera Real]] from numerous natural [[Overlook|viewing points]]. La Paz is home to the largest [[Gondola lift|urban cable car network]] in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/08/a-bolivian-subway-in-the-sky/400121/ |title=A Bolivian Subway in the Sky |date=11 August 2015 |website=theatlantic.com |publisher=The Atlantic |access-date=14 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624030737/https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/08/a-bolivian-subway-in-the-sky/400121/ |archive-date=24 June 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>