Wender·Vista
La Paz
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileMexico
on the Sea of Cortez, halfway down the Baja peninsula

La Paz

— — the desert that learned to swim.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The capital of Baja California Sur sits on a long shallow bay the locals call El Mogote. Pelicans work the shoreline at the same hour the fishing pangas come in. Across the water lies Espíritu Santo, the island Cousteau called the aquarium of the world. The Malecón runs three kilometres along the harbour and most evenings the wind drops to nothing about an hour before the sun. from the studio

from the studio
La Paz
— bring it home

La Paz, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about La Paz

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

La Paz is the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur, on the western shore of the Sea of Cortez about 220 kilometres north of Cabo San Lucas. The city of roughly 290,000 holds a sheltered bay protected by a long sandbar, El Mogote, and looks across open water to Isla Espíritu Santo, a UNESCO-listed island reserve since 2005. The seaside Malecón runs three kilometres past low pastel buildings, fishing co-ops, and the cathedral of Nuestra Señora de La Paz, built in 1861 on the site of a 1720 Jesuit mission.

— the water

The Sea of Cortez between La Paz and Espíritu Santo is one of the most biologically rich bodies of water on the planet. Jacques Cousteau called it the world's aquarium. Whale sharks arrive in the shallow bay from roughly October through April and feed within sight of the Malecón. Bottlenose dolphins, mobula rays, and a resident sea-lion colony at Los Islotes hold the channel year-round. Visibility through the dry season averages fifteen to twenty metres, and the water rarely drops below twenty degrees Celsius.

— the season

The dry winter months from November through April are the season most travellers come for. Daytime temperatures sit around 24 to 28 degrees, the bay is calm, and the whale-shark aggregation is in. Summer brings high heat, humidity, and the chubasco storms that roll off the mainland through August and September. Hurricane Odile crossed the peninsula in September 2014 and reshaped parts of the Malecón. The town runs at a different pace in summer; the diving and sailing trade waits for the wind to come back in October.

— where
Mexico · La Paz, Baja California Sur
— elevation
27 m · 89 ft
— position
24.1426° N · 110.3128° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
25 km NE
Espíritu Santo Island
UNESCO island reserve
23 km N
Balandra Beach
protected bay
80 km SW
Todos Santos
Pueblo Mágico
N
La Paz
Espíritu Santo Island
Balandra Beach
Todos Santos
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about La Paz — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

La Paz is the capital of Baja California Sur, on the western shore of the Sea of Cortez. It lies about 220 kilometres north of Cabo San Lucas and 1,500 kilometres from Mexico City.

The Sea of Cortez at La Paz sits between desert mountains and a long sandbar that limits river runoff. Visibility through the dry winter season averages fifteen to twenty metres, with little plankton bloom.

Juvenile whale sharks aggregate in the shallow bay roughly October through April. Permitted operators run small-boat tours from the Malecón; swimming with the sharks is regulated by the federal CONANP authority.

Espíritu Santo is an uninhabited island about 25 kilometres northeast of the city, protected as part of a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2005. A resident sea-lion colony lives at the northern tip, Los Islotes.

No. Cabo San Lucas sits 220 kilometres south at the tip of the peninsula and grew around sport-fishing and resort tourism. La Paz is the older administrative capital and keeps a working-port character.

The Malecón is a three-kilometre seaside promenade lined with bronze sculptures, taco stands, and the city cathedral. Most evenings the wind drops about an hour before sunset, and the bay turns mirror-flat.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. La Paz holds a particular place for divers, sailors, and anyone who has spent time on the Sea of Cortez. A Medium or Large with a handwritten note from the studio carries that recognition well.

The blues and warm sand tones suit Coastal-modern, Desert-modern, and Spanish Colonial interiors. It also sits comfortably in a Jewel-tone Maximalist room where the turquoise can answer other saturated colours.

Yes. The current coastal-modern direction favours specific named places over generic beach imagery, and saturated water palettes over the pale washed look of the last decade. La Paz fits both shifts.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large reads cleanly. For a longer wall or console, the 4-tile Mural carries the bay across more space; the 9-tile Mural is the gallery-wall option.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and hold up to moisture, which makes them suited to backsplashes, shower walls, and powder-room features.

A soft microfibre cloth and water is all the surface needs. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it will not lift with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is created in-house at the Knoxville studio under Reid Wender's eye. The artwork is not licensed from any third party and is unique to the studio.

— if this one stayed with you

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