Rafael Manzanares began his professional career in the 1940s as a teacher and marimba player with the
Orquesta Tropical de Antonio Medina (Antonio Medina's Tropical Orchestra). Rafael Manzanares was initially appointed as secretary of the board of the Central District. He subsequently became director general of Culture and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Honduras. In this position, Manzanares Aguilar studied music and committed himself to investigate the origins of Honduran music and dance. His investigations took him to numerous regions of Honduras, visiting Honduran communities to study and record traditional music, dance, and customs in the towns and villages of Honduras. This work earned him recognition from the government and provided inspiration for founding the institutions that are today paramount in
Honduran folklore. Rafael Manzanares founded and was the first director of the
National Office of Folklore under the Ministry of Public Education. In this capacity he is credited with founding the national dance company,
El Cuadro Nacional de Danzas Folklóricas de Honduras on November 1, 1956. He was the first director and choreographer of the new dance company. At present
El Cuadro Nacional de Danzas Folklóricas de Honduras is composed of about 11 employees in the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Sport (SCAD), and from them its influence spreads over 500 groups in different regions with more than 1,000 instructors nationwide who work to preserve the cultural roots of Honduras. This initiative now includes 50 schools in the capital and more than 700 in the entire country. Many of his romantic titles have been recorded and disseminated throughout Central America. inspired by flying and walking characteristics of the buzzard, commonly seen in Honduras. This dance was compiled by Professor Manzanares in the city of Yuscarán, department of El Paraiso, and it was choreographed and initially interpreted by the Cuadro Nacional de Danzas Folklóricas. In 1997 Rafael Manzanares was the
Liberal Party mayoral candidate for
Tegucigalpa, in an election that he lost to the
National Party Candidate, Doctor Cesar Castellanos Madrid. In 1998, during the presidential administration of
Carlos Roberto Flores, he was appointed minister of the
Secretary of State for Culture, Arts and Sports. == Published works ==