La Paz, Iloilo City

La Paz (colloquial spelling: Lapaz) is a district in Iloilo City, in the Philippine province of Iloilo, on the island of Panay, in the region of Western Visayas. It is the third-largest district by land area, after Jaro and Mandurriao. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 54,720 people. In the past, it was known as Ilawod, which means "sea/wet land," along with Jaro, which was referred to as Ilaya, meaning "mountain/dry land."

La Paz is known as the birthplace of the popular Filipino noodle soup dish, La Paz Batchoy. La Paz Public Market, considered the exact birthplace of La Paz Batchoy.

Its district plaza, the La Paz Plaza, is the largest among the six district plazas in Iloilo City.

History
La Paz traces back to its origins as one of the barrios of Jaro. Initially established in 1584, it was named Bagong Banera at the time. However, it wasn't until 1856 that it gained independence from Jaro and became a separate pueblo (town) known as Lobo. Later on, it was renamed La Paz, meaning "peace" in Spanish, which was derived from its patron saint, Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage).

On July 16, 1937, La Paz was incorporated as a district of Iloilo City, alongside the towns of Arevalo, Mandurriao, and Molo. This integration marked its status as an integral part of the expanding urban center.

In 2008, the sub-district of Lapuz in La Paz gained independence after a resolution was passed by the city council. This move aimed to establish separate police and fire stations for the area.

Geography
La Paz is situated in the middle-eastern part of Iloilo City, around 2.1 km from Iloilo City Proper. It is bordered by Jaro to the north, Mandurriao to the west, Molo to the southwest, the City Proper to the south, and Lapuz to the southeast. The district is traversed by the Tigum River and faces Buenavista on Guimaras Island across the Iloilo Strait to the east.

Barangays
The district of La Paz has a total of 25 barangays.
 * Aguinaldo
 * Baldoza
 * Bantud
 * Banuyao
 * Burgos-Mabini-Plaza
 * Caingin
 * Divinagracia
 * Gustilo
 * Hinactacan
 * Ingore
 * Jereos
 * Laguda
 * Lopez Jaena Norte
 * Lopez Jaena Sur
 * Luna
 * MacArthur
 * Magdalo
 * Magsaysay Village
 * Nabitasan
 * Railway
 * Rizal
 * San Isidro
 * San Nicolas
 * Tabuc Suba
 * Ticud

La Paz Batchoy
The La Paz Public Market in the district is often referred to as the specific birthplace of the Ilonggo noodle soup dish, La Paz Batchoy. It is a noodle soup made with pork offal, crushed pork cracklings, chicken stock, beef loin and round noodles.

La Paz Fiesta
In honor of the district patron saint of La Paz, Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage), La Paz Fiesta, or the Feast of the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, is held annually in the district on May 24.

Education
La Paz is home to two of the eight universities in Iloilo City, namely, West Visayas State University and Iloilo Science and Technology University. Other notable schools in the district are Western Institute of Technology, St. Therese – MTC Colleges, Hua Siong College of Iloilo, and Iloilo National High School.

Transportation
La Paz, like other districts of Iloilo City, is served mostly by passenger jeepneys, white metered taxis, and tricycles within the district. It is also the location of the headquarters of Panay Railways, which operated a railroad from Iloilo City to Roxas City from 1907 to the 1980s.