Historically, it was known to the Spanish as Yaya Mayu ("Father River"[verification needed]), from the river's name among a group of Shuar encountered nearby.

The sources of the Zamora River are in the Podocarpus National Park, specifically at the Nudo de Cajanuma.

It crosses the provinces of Loja, Zamora-Chinchipe (wherein lies the city of Zamora) and Morona-Santiago, where it empties into the Santiago.

The Zamora is the dominant river in southeastern Ecuador, and has many tributaries, perhaps the source of its native name [verification needed].

This article related to a river in Ecuador is a stub.