Paria, Bolivia was an important administrative center of the Inca Empire in the late 15th and 16th centuries AD and was the first Spanish settlement in Bolivia, founded in 1535. The ruins of "Old Paria" (Paria la Viexa or Paria la Vieja) are located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of the present day hamlet of Paria, which had a population of 106 people in 2012. Paria is 27 kilometres (17 mi) northeast of the city of Oruro. It is situated in a cultivated valley at an altitude of 3,767 metres (12,359 ft). Paria is located in Cercado Province and Oruro Department of Bolivia.