Who Are the Mashco-Piro?
The Mashco-Piro are an uncontacted indigenous people numbering an estimated 600-800 individuals inhabiting remote Amazon rainforest in southeastern Peru, primarily in Manu National Park and surrounding areas. The Mashco-Piro are nomadic hunter-gatherers moving through forest in small family groups, deliberately avoiding contact with outsiders. They speak a language from the Arawak family. Historical contact attempts ended in violence and disease, leading the Mashco-Piro to maintain isolation as survival strategy. The Peruvian government established protection zones and no-contact policy. Recent sightings show Mashco-Piro occasionally emerging near rivers, though contact remains dangerous for both parties. Threats include illegal logging, drug trafficking routes, and oil exploration encroaching on their territory. The Mashco-Piro represent one of largest uncontacted populations in the Amazon.