Exploration and Colonization

Attempts to colonise the area from the Andes began in 1473, when the Inca Tupac Yupanqui sent an expedition into the region which was repelled by the fierce Tacana, the ancestors of today's Ese-Eja communities (one of which is "Infierno", just two hours downstream from the Libertador Tambopata Lodge).

Despite this episode, the Incas continued to trade peacefully with a number of the more friendly tribes and they placed great spiritual value on the forests.

With the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores several expeditions were sent into the forests, more often than not in search of Paititi, the mythical lost city of gold reputed to be hidden somewhere in the vast jungles of the Amazon.

Between 1567 and 1569, Juan Alvarez Maldonado explored extensively down the Madre de Dios River as far as the River Heath, the frontier with Bolivia. He returned eventually, frustrated by the difficulties of disease and the dangerous Tacana. The provincial capital, Puerto Maldonado, was named after him.