[5] In the middle of the 17th century, near of the Amazon River, the foundation of a village by the Jesuits was registered by the Portuguese empire.

A military post and tax office were established near the site in 1766 to become a border region with Colombia and Peru.

On 4 June 1968, under Federal Law 5.449, the entire area of the municipality of Benjamin Constant, to which Tabatinga was subordinated, was classified by the Brazilian government as a National Security Area,[8] due to its extensive open border with other countries and its poor border surveillance.

Tabatinga's political emancipation occurred on December 10, 1981, under the constitutional amendment of the State of Amazonas No.

It is formed by Brazilians, Peruvians, Colombians, among them indigenous people of different ethnic groups, most of whom are Tikunas and Kokamas.

[11] Due to the extensive border with Colombia and Peru, Tabatinga is considered by the Federal Police and the Brazilian Army to be one of the main points of entry of cocaine into Brazil.

According to Brazilian police authorities, the precarious enforcement of the law and problems of neighboring nations with illicit narcotics production make Tabatinga a frequent point of entry for drugs bound for Brazil's major cities.