Tambo Quirquincho was originally the residence of the chief / cacique Quirquincho when the conquistador Alonso de Mendoza arrived in 1548 (he is said to have stayed here) and founded the modern city of La Paz. It was one of the most important tambos on the route between Potosí and Lima in colonial times. It has been extensively renovated (the courtyard contains arches and portals from other now destroyed colonial buildings) and since 1988 has been a museum.