The Pará rubber tree initially grew only in the Amazon Rainforest. Increasing demand and the discovery of the vulcanization procedure in 1839 led to the rubber boom in that region, enriching the city of Iquitos. Harvesters make incisions across the latex vessels, just deep enough to tap the vessels without harming the tree’s growth, and the latex is collected in small buckets. This process is known as rubber tapping.