Our Trip To Cabo – #8 – La Paz

La Paz is the capitol of Baja California Sur. This vibrant port took many centuries to tame, leaving a fascinating story littered with pearls and pirates, conquistadors and crooners in its wake. It lies about 40 feet (12 metres) above sea level on sheltered La Paz Bay of the Gulf of California (also called Sea of Cortez) and has a hot dry climate. Founded in 1535, with rock paintings and other artifacts dating as far back as 11,000 years ago attest to their presence in most regions of the Baja Peninsula. Hernan Cortes founded a little colony by the bay but named it Santa Cruz. Abandoned and rediscovered again in 1596 and given its final name, La Paz. Spaniards charted the bay in 1533, but a Jesuit mission was not established there until 1720; it was abandoned some 30 years later because of the harsh climate, Indian uprisings, and the loss of much of the local population to introduced diseases. Pearl diving and mining continued to attract Spanish interests, and a permanent settlement was founded in 1811. La Paz became the territorial capital in 1829.

After our first whale shark experience, we cleaned up and went off the explore the city. As you would expect, there are a lot of references and tributes to the surrounding sea, as well as the desert and agricultural life.

This statue is so totally me. My spirit animal has always been the dolphin, and for as long as I can remember, I have always been a mermaid because of my deep love and connection with the water, whether it is a pool, a lake, or my beloved oceans of the world.

This is a statue of Neptune with his seashells or conchas.

A tribute to the pearls of the sea.

This is the dock we left out of for our excursions.

Other sights of La Paz. I think this poor vessel was the victim of a hurricane, and sadly was just left to die. This is at high tide.

The early inhabitants of La Paz and Cabo San Lucas were the Aztecs. The Aztecs and the Mayans were both early inhabitants of Mexico in general, but here it was predominantly the Aztecs.

This is the same boat at sunset and low tide.

As you can see, we explored both the watery world of La Paz as well as the dry land version of the area. We made the most of our time in La Paz, as we always do, no matter where our adventures lead us. 

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ’Til next time.

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Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

I have worked in the restaurant and catering industry for over 35 years. I attended 2 culinary schools in Southern California, and have a degree in culinary arts from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, as well as a few other degrees in other areas. I love to cook and I love to feed people.

16 thoughts on “Our Trip To Cabo – #8 – La Paz”

      1. The last time we did the Whale Shark snorkel, it was a bit chaotic. The water was super green with low visibility. Multiple operators surround the whale sharks (at a safe distance), and people swim towards them, hoping to get a closer view. It’s not really an ideal situation, and I’m not sure how they could do it better besides restricting the number of people who can be with a Whale Shark at a time.

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      2. That is my take on it as well. The water was very murky for us too. The company we booked with, Eco Migrations, was excellent, and they follow and adhere to the rules and guidelines to a tee. But it is with the way the operations do it in general that I have issue with. I agree though. I don’t know of a better way either. Thank you for your input. Have a great day. 🙂

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