Conveniently located in the heart of the central historic district, Allende Books is just two short blocks off the Malecón (waterfront) and steps from the beautiful old Cultural Centre on 16 de Septiembre street.

Since 2008, Allende Books has been providing local residents, travelers and tourists with English language resources in La Paz. Besides books, maps and gifts, there is also a small courtyard where Author Readings, Spoken Word Poetry, and Open Mic music events are held.

In addition to Adult, Youth and Children's fiction and non-fiction books, you will also find a wide selection of information to help you enjoy your stay in Mexico: field and travel guides, dictionaries, Spanish language guides, sailing/ cruising charts and guidebooks, Baja and Mexico history books, regional gardening and cookbooks, Mexican interior design, architecture, culture and art books of Mexico. We also have a small selection of Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Italian and Portuguese books.

As we are almost a thousand miles from the US border, English language books are precious and hard to find so we are always looking for books to buy. We buy good condition best sellers and local interest titles.

We also have an eclectic collection of hand-crafted art and gifts from La Paz and elsewhere in Mexico, and several local artists also display some of their work.

For travelers, we carry city maps of La Paz, the Baja peninsula, and Mexico as well as road atlases for the Baja and Mexico. We also have a good selection of cards and postcards so you can keep in touch with your family and friends.

People often ask if we are named after the Latin American writer, Isabelle Allende but we are not. Allende Books was originally on Allende Street which is named after Ignacio Allende, a general who fought for the independence of Mexico from the Spanish during the early 1800s. Originally a Captain in the Spanish army, Allende believed in the idea of an independent Mexico so he changed sides and fought alongside Miguel Hidalgo in the first stages of the struggle. He eventually succeeded Hidalgo as the leader of the rebellion but was captured and executed for treason by the Spanish. Ignacio Allende is fondly remembered as a hero in Mexico.

"Allende" also means "beyond," in Spanish and we have indeed grown "beyond" just books. We cheerfully provide information in English on local resources, tours, places to visit, and provide a welcoming place for travelers to stop, meet and rest. We also have Saturday morning Children's story hours as well as Spanish Language classes, Author/ Poetry readings and music events in the courtyard.

Stop in and say hi if you are travelling through. We have wifi, air conditioning and a public restroom. We look forward to seeing you soon. Safe travels!