La Paz Baja California Sur

La Paz the capital of Baja California Sur feels like a small town in a time warp. It’s the most traditional Mexican city in Baja Sur. There are plenty of foreigners in La Paz, particularly during snowbird season. But in the slowest part of the off-season, during the oppressive late-summer heat, you can easily see how La Paz aptly translates as “the peace,” and its residents can be called paceños (peaceful ones). The city sprawls inland from the curve of its malécon along the Bahía La Paz, which, through some strange feat of geography, angles west toward the sunset. Travelers use La Paz as both a destination in itself and a stopping-off point en route to Los Cabos. There’s always excellent scuba diving and sportfishing in the Sea of Cortez. La Paz is the base for divers and fishermen headed for Cerralvo, La Partida, and the Espíritu Santo islands, where parrot fish, manta rays, neons, and angels blur the clear waters by the shore, and marlin, dorado, and yellowtail leap from the sea. Cruise ships are more and more often spotted sailing toward the bay as La Paz emerges as an attractive port.