La Paz: History

Pre-20th-Century History

La Ciudad de Nuestra Señora de La Paz (the City of Our Lady of Peace) was founded and named on October 20, 1548 by a Spaniard, Captain Alonzo de Mendoza, at present day Laja on the Tiahuanaco road. Soon after, La Paz was shifted to its present location, the valley of the Chuquiago Marka (now called the Río Choqueyapu), which had been occupied by a community of Aymará miners.

The Spanish always had a weakness for shiny yellow metal, and the now-fetid Río Choqueyapu, which today flows beneath La Paz, seemed to be full of it. The Spaniards didn't waste any time in seizing the gold mines, and Mendoza was installed as the new city's first mayor. The conquerors also imposed their religion and lifestyle on the indigenous people, and since most colonists were men, unions between Spanish men and indigenous women eventually gave rise to a primarily mestizo (Spanish-indigenous) population.

If the founding of La Paz had been based on anything other than gold, its position in the depths of a rugged canyon probably would have dictated an unpromising future. However, the protection this setting provided from the fierce Altiplano climate and the city's location on the main trade route between Lima and Potosí (much of the Potosí silver bound for Pacific ports passed through La Paz) offered the city some hope of prosperity once the gold had played out. By the time the railway was built, the city was well enough established to continue commanding attention.

Modern History

In spite of its name, the City of Our Lady of Peace has seen a good deal of violence. Since Bolivian independence in 1825 the republic has endured 192 changes of leadership. An abnormally high mortality rate once accompanied high office in Bolivia, thus the job of president came with a short life expectancy. In fact the presidential palace on the plaza is now known as the Palacio Quemado (Burned Palace), owing to its repeated gutting by fire. As recently as 1946 then-president Gualberto Villarroel was publicly hanged in Plaza Murillo.

La Paz became the nation's administrative capital in 1898, consolidating its position as the most important urban center in the country. A railway line built in the early years of the 20th century linked the city to both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

Recent History

In recent years La Paz has experienced the same kind of uncontrolled migration from poor rural areas as many other similar sized cities in the developing world. As a result, shanty towns have sprung up on the rim of the valley. These parts of the city are called, appropriately enough, El Alto. With a 5% to 6% growth rate per year, this extension of urban La Paz has morphed into one of Latin America's fastest growing cities.

Bolivia's political tumult often has reverberations for locals and visitors alike. In 2000 and again in mid-2003, anti-government protests immobilised the city. Since the election of Bolivia's first indigenous President, Evo Morales, in December 2005, anti-reform protests have been the order of the day with the country divided over Morales' plans to rewrite the constitution.

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