(110 km/66 miles)
Today we return to La Paz which is (Spanish for “The Peace”) and the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. We will be returning to Campestre Maranatha for the next 3 days. We have excursions planned into town for our hosted Baja Fiesta Dinner at Los Maguayes and a visit to Todos Santos for a walk about where you can see Hotel California up close & personal.
La Paz is an important regional commercial center and has a metropolitan population of roughly 200,000 persons because of surrounding towns like el Centenario, el Zacatal and San Pedro. La Paz was first inhabited by neolithic hunter-gatherers at least 10,000 years ago who left traces of their existence in the form of rock paintings near the city and throughout Baja peninsula. On May 3, 1535, Hernan Cortes arrived in the bay by La Paz and named it Santa Cruz; he attempted to start a colony but abandoned his efforts after several years due to logistical problems. In 1596 Sebastion Vizcaino arrived, giving the area its modern name, La Paz.