Ethnobotanical Guide to the Casa Matsigenka

For my senior independent project, I created a brochure in English and another in Spanish for the Casa Matsigenka. This educational brochure contains a map as well as information on the ethnobotanical uses of some plants surrounding the lodge.

I collaborated with several Matsigenka men to collect the data for this brochure during the fall semester of 2007 as part of the SATA Peru program under the direction of Professor Manuel Lizarralde. The cartogram was digitized from a drawn map using ArcGIS 9.3 software and the brochure was designed using Adobe InDesign software.

The Casa Matsigenka is a community-based eco-tourism lodge owned by an indigenous Matsigenka population in the rainforest of Manu National Park , Peru . The challenge facing many indigenous groups is to find a source of income without compromising biodiversity and natural resources. This tourist lodge has been operating since 2003 with the goal to not only provide a source of income but also to generate cultural pride and organization within the Matsigenka community.

This educational brochure was made to distinguish this lodge from other tourist lodges in Manu National Park by illustrating the depth of knowledge that this indigenous community holds regarding the natural environment. The hope is that this guide will encourage and facilitate dialog between visitors and Matsigenkas working at the lodge.