The Matses civilization developed in Peru and Brazil near the Javari River Valley, interacting with Americans rather than Peruvians or Brazilians. When Christian missionaries came, their religion mixed with the Matses', altering it altogether. The Matses numbers are declining as their land is being dug up by a Canadian oil company for minerals, dirtying their water and causing diseases like malaria and hepatitis. In 1969 the Matses first interacted with outsiders when they accepted Christian missionaries into their communities.
The Matses civilization developed in Peru and Brazil near the Javari River Valley, interacting with Americans rather than Peruvians or Brazilians. When Christian missionaries came, their religion mixed with the Matses', altering it altogether. The Matses numbers are declining as their land is being dug up by a Canadian oil company for minerals, dirtying their water and causing diseases like malaria and hepatitis. In 1969 the Matses first interacted with outsiders when they accepted Christian missionaries into their communities.