Captain Alonso de Mendoza planted a flag in the valley of Chuquiago Marka to establish Nuestra Señora de La Paz on the 20th of October 1548. The Spanish conquistadors chose this site after finding the area clement compared to the original Native American settlement at Laja.
La Paz sits at an elevation of roughly 3,600 meters above sea level making it the highest administrative capital in the world. Night-time temperatures range from cold to very cold despite the location being only 16 degrees from the equator with heavy precipitation occurring throughout summer.
In 1898 La Paz became the de facto seat of national government while Sucre retained its status as the nominal historical and judicial capital. This change reflected the shift of Bolivia's economy away from exhausted silver mines toward tin exploitation near Oruro.
Over 30,000 dancers take the streets during the Gran Poder procession which occurs on Trinity Sunday each year. The Feria de Alasitas fair begins every the 24th of January and lasts for one month celebrating the god of prosperity known as Ekeko.
The first line of the Mi Teleférico cable car system began operations on the 30th of May 2014 connecting La Paz with El Alto. By the 9th of March 2019 the Silver Line became the tenth line in operation closing the circuit known as the Metropolitan Integration Network.