The Manu rainforest  is a very biologically diverse area of Peru. This is where one can find over  1,000 species of just bird birds, 300 different species of trees, and many other types of life. Though Manu is most famous for its numerous and abundant life forms,  deep within this enchanted rain forest lie tales and chronicles of Indians and foreign travelers of  past centuries. Though evidence of their existence has disappeared, these travelers and inhabitants made deep impressions that have molded Manu into an interesting forest full of life from past and present.

The most recognized inhabitants of Peru were the Incas who placed their capital in the Andes Mountains though their empire reached into the cloud forest. Due to the vastness of this empire, there was frequent contact between the Incas and the jungle Indians that lived in the Manu rainforest. During the peak of the Incas empire, their territory extended over 3,000 miles (4,800 km) across South America. Cuzco was the residence of  the Inca Sun King and was considered the center of the empire. Communication took place between cities by "chaskis," who were couriers that ran between locations to send information thus meeting other historic indigenous tribes along the way.

The landscape of Manu has been altered a bit and some of the plants and animals are facing extinction, inspiring the Peruvian Governemnt to sign an agreement establishing a national park promoting the conservation of some of the endangered species.  The agreement specifies that the park "cover more than half the country... contain the greatest number of Peru's wide range of animals and birds...be in a virgin state, uninhabited and unaffected by the operations of hunters, lumbers, or colonists...[and] included every biotope from the riverside forests of the Amazon's main tributaries." Manu officially became a National Reserve in 1968, only to be upgraded to a National Park,  five years later.

Today, the vast region of Manu  is considered a Biosphere Reserve, composed of three parts: the Manu National Park, a region designed to protect the natural fauna and flora; the Manu Reserved Zone, reserved for tourism as well as research; and finally, the Manu Cultural Zone, the part of the forest designed for human settlement. With these recent efforts at conservation, life in the Manu rainforest thrives. Currently, researchers are becoming more familiar with the indigenous Indians that currently live in the Manu rainforest, as well as of the different forms of life that resides here.

The Manu rainforest is an amazing place to study Spanish for those who appreciate nature and want to learn about the tribes of indigenous people that live in this preserved historical and natural area of Peru.