Indigenous Communities

The oldest inhabitants of the Department of Madre de Dios are the indigenous Amazonian Indians belonging to the linguistic families Harakambut, Arawak, Tacana and Pano. Archaeological evidence points to an occupation of this vast territory by these people of several thousand years. Approximately 4,000 indigenous people survive today.


The majority have been "contacted" and now live in permanently settled indigenous communities near the major river systems. However, a number of groups still live a very secluded nomadic life deep within the forests in areas such as Manu, Piedras and Tahuamanu.