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Everyone ends up in
LA PAZ
eventually, if only to get the ferry out, and it seems that most of the population of Baja California Sur is gravitating here, too. The outskirts are an ugly sprawl, their development outpacing the spread of paved roads and facilities. But the town centre, modernized as it is, has managed to preserve something of its quiet colonial atmosphere. You can stroll along the waterfront malecEn, and for once the beach in town looks inviting enough to swim from - though there are no guarantees on the cleanliness of the water.
The Bay of La Paz was explored by
Cortes
himself in the first years after the Conquest - drawn, as always, by tales of great wealth - but he found little to interest him and, despite successive expeditions, at first merely rapacious, later missionary, La Paz wasn't permanently settled until the end of the eighteenth century. It grew rapidly, however, thanks to the riches of the surrounding sea, and above all as a pearl-fishing centre. American troops occupied the town during the Texan war, and six years later it was again invaded, by William Walker in one of his many attempts to carve himself out a Central American kingdom; by this time it was already capital of the territory of California. The pearl trade has pretty much dried up - a mystery disease wiped out most of the oysters - but since the 1960s La Paz has continued to boom, buoyed up by tourists at first flown in, then boosted by the growing ferry service, and now supplemented by the hordes pouring down Hwy-1.
The best time to visit is from November to May, as summers can be unbearably hot. During the last week in February La Paz holds its
carnival
, with colourful parades and cultural events transforming the town.
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