Franciscan and Capuchin Friars can be counted by hundreds. They have been not only great mission organizers but they are also regarded as travelers, big expedition promoters and discoverers. One of the outstanding characters in the discovery of Ecuatorian Amazonia is Juan Santos Ortiz de Villalba (Elgoibar 1939), philosopher, theologist, archaeologist and anthropologist who since his first adventure in the Amazonia at the age of 25 has provided us with a fascinating written legacy of the native tribes. Thanks to his vast knowledge of the people in the Ecuatorian Amazonia, Ortiz de Villalba has respected and revealed Amazonian language and culture, avoiding the cultural extinction of this millenarian population.