In 1901, the Peruvian Government created a committee to
explore the nation's rainforest. Don Juan Villalta led an expedition along the
Tambopata River, departing from Sandia. Villata founded Puerto Maldonado on
July 10, 1902 as a station where the Tambopata met the Madre de Dios. He named
the port after Faustino Maldonado, of Tarapoto, who had explored the Madre de
Dios in 1861 and drowned in the rapids of the Mamoré River.
The Madre de Dios region was created by law on Dec. 26,
1912 with Puerto Maldonado as its capital.
The city
