Nuestra Señora de La Paz is proof that life can flourish, even in the most extreme conditions. Nestled at the top of the world in the Andes Mountains, it is - bar none - the highest capital on the entire planet, at a towering 3.6km above sea level.

Founded in 1548 by conquistador Alonso de Mendoza, it did not start life as the colonial stomping grounds of conquerors. Before, it was the vital trade hub of the greatest empire that South America had ever birthed. The Incas. Connecting the South Andes and the wide grazing plains of Argentina to the northern Andes and the lush, diverse tropical rainforests of Colombia, it was a vital disc in the spine that stretches over the continent.

After the subjugation of the Incas, many in the Spanish royal court consigned La Paz as a pacified city, delegated to a backwater in its colossal empire. They could not be more wrong. The Natives, not once but twice put the city to siege, and along with the rest of the continent, took arms against Madrid and threw off their yoke of oppression. Now, La Paz stands as a shining city on the mountain, ready for whatever comes its way.