La Paz will celebrate its 491st founding anniversary with a full month of free cultural, sports, and artistic events across the city in May. Mayor Milena Quiroga Romero announced the schedule, which opens May 2 with a folkloric parade and peaks May 3 with a reenactment of Hernán Cortés’ 1535 landing, the crowning of Queen Calafia 2026, and a headline concert by national band Ganja at the malecón.
Hernán Cortés Landed at Bahía de la Santa Cruz on May 3, 1535
La Paz traces its founding to May 3, 1535, when Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés sailed across the Sea of Cortez from the mainland and stepped ashore at what he called Bahía de la Santa Cruz. The expedition was Cortés’ third attempt to colonize the Baja California peninsula. His crew of roughly 300 soldiers and colonists established a short-lived settlement near present-day Pichilingue, about 17 kilometers north of downtown La Paz. The colony failed within a year, undone by drought, scarce food, and hostile conditions. But the date stuck, and La Paz has commemorated May 3 as its founding day ever since.
The reenactment of that landing has become one of the city’s signature traditions. Each year, actors in period costume row ashore on the beach beside the malecón kiosk, replaying the moment Cortés first set foot on the peninsula. This year’s staging begins at 6:30 p.m. on May 3.
After the reenactment, the city will crown Alexa Taboada as Queen Calafia 2026. The title references Calafia, the fictional Black warrior queen who ruled a mythical island of gold called “California” in Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo’s 1510 Spanish romance novel Las Sergas de Esplandián. When Cortés reached the peninsula, his men believed they had found Montalvo’s legendary island, and the name California endured. La Paz has honored this literary origin story through its Queen Calafia tradition for decades, selecting a local woman each year to represent the character during anniversary festivities.
Events Run May 2 Through Late May at the Malecón and Parque Cuauhtémoc
The celebrations kick off Saturday, May 2, with the 24th edition of the Mitote Folklórico, a large folkloric dance parade. “Mitote” is a Nahuatl word meaning a communal dance or gathering. The parade departs Parque Cuauhtémoc at 5:00 p.m. and winds through the streets to the malecón kiosk. In past years, the Mitote has drawn dozens of dance troupes from across Baja California Sur and the mainland, performing regional styles from Sinaloa, Jalisco, Oaxaca, and the peninsula itself.
On May 3, the Cortés landing reenactment and Calafia coronation precede the Ganja concert at the malecón. Ganja is a Mexican ska and reggae band from Mexico City, formed in the mid-1990s, known for high-energy live shows.
May 4 brings additional concerts at the malecón kiosk area. On May 5, the city will host its annual Homenaje al Tiburón Ballena (Whale Shark Tribute) in the same waterfront zone. La Paz is one of the world’s top destinations for swimming with whale sharks. The animals typically visit the Bay of La Paz from October through April, and the tribute event celebrates their ecological importance to the region just as the season closes.
Later in May, the program includes JuvenFest, a youth festival timed to Mexico’s Día del Estudiante (Student Day, celebrated May 23), and the 46th edition of the Medio Maratón Costero, a coastal half marathon that follows a route along the waterfront. Exact dates for those events will be posted on the city’s official social media channels for the culture, youth, sports, and inclusion departments.
Road Closures Expected Along the Malecón During Parade Days
Most events are clustered along the malecón and the blocks between Parque Cuauhtémoc and the waterfront kiosk. If you live or stay in the downtown core, expect road closures and heavy foot traffic on May 2 starting in the late afternoon and on May 3 from early evening onward. Street parking near the malecón will be scarce on both days. All announced events are free and open to the public.
Mayra Cisneros Nevárez, La Paz’s director general of inclusion and diversity, said the program was coordinated across multiple city departments. She encouraged residents to check official Facebook pages for schedule updates. The city government published the full announcement on its official news portal, noticias.lapaz.gob.mx.