The town, located in the confluence between the Napo and Aguarico rivers, was the location of an Ecuadorian outpost named Rocafuerte and a small Peruvian outpost who bore the current name used by the town, both established during the era of the territorial dispute between Ecuador and Peru.

[4] Subsequently, it saw action during several skirmishes, but most notably during the 1941 Ecuadorian–Peruvian War in the Battle of Pantoja and Rocafuerte.

[5][6][7] After the Peruvian victory, it was renamed Cabo Pantoja, after Peruvian Cabo Víctor Pantoja, killed in action during a minor battle between Ecuador and Peru over the dispute in 1904.

[4][8] The Ecuadorian inhabitants relocated as a result of the battle and established Nuevo Rocafuerte.

[2] Today the town hosts a small health center and schools, as well as infrastructure related to water, telecommunication and health services.