 Rafael Manzanares was born on July 17, 1918 in La Esperanza, Intibucá, the son of Mr. Santiago Manzanares and Mrs. Maria de los Angeles Aguilar.He spent his early life in La Esperanza and graduated from the Escuela Normal de Occidente in La Esperanza with a degree in primary education.He then moved to Tegucigalpa to continue his studies at the Central University, from which he obtained a degree in Law at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras.