The Cocama were first contacted in 1549 when a Spanish expedition led by Juan de Salinas ascended the Ucayali. At this time, the Cocama subsisted by fishing and horticulture. In the 17th century they became raiders and were feared by the Spanish and neighboring Indian groups throughout the region, where they were known as pirates of the rivers. When the Jebero rebelled in 1644, the Cocama supported them.