Shell Mera, Pastaza

Shell Mera is a town located in the eastern foothills of the Ecuadorian Andes, about 94mi from Quito. Its name comes from the Royal Dutch Shell Company, and the smaller town of Mera, which is 5mi to the northwest.Shell Oil baseShell Mera was established in 1937 as a Shell Oil Company base. It originally consisted of little more than several basic shacks and a 5000ft airstrip. It was operated as part of Shell's prospecting efforts in the region.The base was located near some Indian tribes that strongly opposed the exploitation of resources found in their ancestral territories. On a few occasions the Indians attacked Shell, resulting in the deaths of several employees. The oil company eventually considered the base too dangerous to maintain, and abandoned it in 1948.However, it is more likely that business prospects had more to do with the decision. It was during this time that the Middle East rose in prominence in the oil industry, since it was becoming much more productive. After spending 10 years prospecting in Ecuador, the oil company had not produced any oil from the region.Missionary baseSometime around 1949, Shell was reoccupied by Mission Aviation Fellowship. MAF recognized the importance of Shell due to its airstrip and road access to Quito. They used it as their main base of operations for mission work in Ecuador, and it was also the home base of MAF pilots Nate Saint and Johnny Keenan.