Arajuno (pronounced ''ar-a-HOO-no'') is a jungle community in the

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

ian rainforest. It is also a Canton (political subdivision) in the

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 has 36,700 inhabitants. The city is now accessible by paved roads, a recent development; the main road from ...

. It is located on the Arajuno River, a tributary of the Curaray. The area is inhabited by

Quichua Kichwa (, , also Spanish ) is a Quechuan language that includes all Quechua varieties of Ecuador and Colombia (''Inga''), as well as extensions into Peru. It has an estimated half million speakers. The most widely spoken dialects are Chimborazo ...

Indians. Arajuno was built by the

Shell Oil Company Shell USA, Inc. (formerly Shell Oil Company, Inc.) is the United States-based wholly owned subsidiary of Shell plc, a UK-based transnational corporation " oil major" which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 18,0 ...

as a base to conduct

prospecting Prospecting is the first stage of the geological analysis (followed by exploration) of a territory. It is the search for minerals, fossils, precious metals, or mineral specimens. It is also known as fossicking. Traditionally prospecting rel ...

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 Theophilus McCully (June 1, 1927 – January 8, 1956) was a 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. Ea ...

. 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.

References

* .
Arajuno Jungle Lodge website
*

External links

*
Street in Arajuno

Arajuno River

Aerial view of the Arajuno RiverOpenStreetMap - Arajuno
Populated places in Pastaza Province {{Ecuador-geo-stub