Reasons to be proud of La Paz in 2024 (and forever)

Jose Manuel Olmachea

It is fashionable to criticize La Paz. Bolivians have become accustomed to calling the government headquarters a “dying giant”, a place “without direction” that “has given everything”. The only fate we have, it is thought, facing the 21st century is irrelevance. However, things are not as easy as analysis often leads us to believe. Below, we highlight a series of reasons to be proud of La Paz 2024 and invite us to think about how these comparative advantages can still carry us into a new century of prosperity for La Paz.
The La Paz metropolitan area has the most modern, interconnected and cheapest urban transport system in the country (calculated by price per kilometer travelled). The La Paz bus system (the famous “Puma Katari”), plus the 10 cable car lines that connect almost all of La Paz and El Alto, plus the various private and union transport options, yield a practical offer. It is impossible not to reach any point in the metropolis for a cost of around 7B. (1 official US dollar), something that does not happen in other large cities in the country and the region.
The city of Illimani remains a gateway and a preferred destination for foreign tourism in terms of culture, tourism and gastronomy, especially for the attractions close to the city: Lake Titicaca, the Death Road, the Senda Verde Reserve, the Yungas, the Madidi National Park, Tiwanaku and Sorata, in addition to the snowy mountains, remain among the country’s most popular destinations for foreign tourists. La Paz is the most biodiverse province in Bolivia, as it has both highlands, valleys and tropical areas (70% of the province is in the tropics, contrary to what many people believe).
The city of La Paz is the safest capital city in Bolivia, with the lowest per capita crime and homicide rates in the country. Obviously, it helps that it is the government headquarters due to the number of police officers, but we know there is an “urban myth” that suggests this would be a “very dangerous” city. Quite the opposite.
Today, the city of La Paz is the center of high-end fusion cuisine in the country. Restaurants such as Gustu, Manqa, Ancestral, La Rufina, Phayawi, Popular Cocina, Ali Pacha and the “Clandestino” experience are marking an era in the La Paz culinary scene. Not to mention the legendary “Bohemian Nights” in La Paz, which remain the most interesting, diverse and luxurious. Museums, theater and art exhibitions are among the best and most diverse in the country. The Alberto Saavedra Perez Municipal Theater is a national treasure.
Without a doubt, the Sopocachi-San Jorge area is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the country. The Hernando Siles Stadium, our “Giant of Miraflorino”, still the main temple of national football; the southern area, the area of ​​most diplomatic residences and the traditional La Paz bourgeoisie, qualified entrepreneurship and the most exclusive cafes, bars, hotels, schools, universities, social clubs, buildings and shops in the city; the “northern area” with the Prapura Forest, the lungs of the city and the Union Trade Zone, where the “new Aymara bourgeoisie” dazzles us more and more with its celebration of the great powers’ luxury and “chole” type structures, especially in El Alto.
We in La Paz always boast that we are Bolivians first and La Paz second. In La Paz, we consider “mild regionalism” a virtue, not a problem. However, La Paz really does not and will never want to look like anyone else, and that is what makes it always unique.