Arajuno
Encyclopedia
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
rainforest. It is also a Canton
Cantons of Ecuador
The Cantons of Ecuador are the second-level subdivisions of Ecuador, below the provinces. There are 226 cantons in the country, of which three are not in any province. The cantons are further sub-divided into parishes, which are classified as either urban or rural...
(political subdivision) in the Pastaza Province
Pastaza Province
Pastaza is a province in the Oriente of Ecuador located in the eastern jungle. The capital is Puyo, founded on May 12, 1899 and which boasts 25,800 inhabitants...
. It is located on the Arajuno River, a tributary of the Curaray. The area is inhabited by Quechua Indians.
Arajuno was built by the Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company is the United States-based subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, a multinational oil company of Anglo Dutch origins, which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 22,000 Shell employees are based in the U.S. The head office in the U.S. is in Houston, Texas...
as a base to conduct prospecting
Oil exploration
Hydrocarbon exploration is the search by petroleum geologists and geophysicists for hydrocarbon deposits beneath the Earth's surface, such as oil and natural gas...
in the area. The company employed many Quechuas to build an airstrip and buildings. Shell abandoned Arajuno in 1948 when the company decided to discontinue its prospecting in Ecuador.
In the 1950s, Arajuno was used as a mission base by missionary Ed McCully
Ed McCully
Edward "Ed" McCully was an evangelical Christian missionary to Ecuador who, along with four other missionaries, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people, through efforts known as Operation Auca.-Early years:...
.
The airstrip was needed because it was not until the late 20th century that Arajuno was accessible by road. The road to Arajuno remains a difficult ride, and it is common for people to seek other methods of transportation even today.
Today, it is the location of the Arajuno Jungle Lodge, a privately owned and operated resort. The Arajuno Road Project also operates in the schools along the road to Arajuno, supplying educational and sporting equipment and offering volunteer opportunities to assist in enhance local education.
