Historical Background

The largest in the string of Pacific islands known as the Marianas, Guam is an island rich in ancient legend, yet inextricably tied to events of the modern world. Its location in the original world trade routes have led to occupation, invasion and governance by Spain, Japan and the United States.

The Chamorro people, believed by many historians to be of mixed Indonesian, Philippine and Malaysia descent, inhabited the island for the last 1,500–3,000 years. Ancient sites from this aboriginal culture dot the island today. One of the most striking is the Latte Stone Park in Central Guam. Latte stones are the coral limestone pillars often used as foundation blocks for Chamorro dwellings. Aside from their architectural use, the pillars were often used as family burial grounds for departed elders and their possessions. Legend advises that these stones remain undisturbed; intruders may find themselves in the presence of angry Taotaomoa spirits, believed to be the restless souls of the Chamorro ancestors.

The first recorded contact of the Chamorro people with the outside world occurred in 1521, when Ferdinand Magellan stopped at the island to reprovision during his attempt to circumnavigate the globe. The explorer’s crew traded iron and tools for the local fresh fruits and vegetables. Guam continued to be an important stop in cross-oceanic travel and trade, and the island was officially claimed by Spain in 1565. Guam was becoming a regular stop for Spanish ships trading between Mexico and the Philippines.

By the mid-1600s, Jesuit missionaries had exerted an enormous influence on the lives of the Chamorro people. Farming flourished, trade grew, and Catholicism became the center of village life. The island’s first Catholic church, Dulce Nombre de Maria {Sweet Name of Mary} Cathedral Basilic was built in 1669 and remained standing for centuries until it was destroyed during WWII. While Catholicism flourished, the Spanish and Chamorro peoples lived in strife much of the time.

Puntan Dos Amantes (Two Lovers Point) tells the heartbreaking story of star-crossed lovers from the different cultures who sacrificed their lives to be one, tying their hair into a single knot and plummeting together into the sea rather than live without each other. The historical site, located north of Tumon Bay, was renovated in 1999 and features a striking statue of the doomed pair.

Life under Spanish rule was not peaceful, and local rebellions and insurrections were dealt with harshly and often brutally. Natives grew restless with Spanish control; war raged in the late 1600s, and by the mid-1700s, it is estimated that the indigenous population dropped from 150,000 to a mere 5,000. By 1695, natives were forced into five villages under strict Jesuit and Spanish militia control.

After the Spanish American War ended, the island was ceded by Spain to the United States in 1898. Guam was placed under jurisdiction of U.S. Navy and, although a Guam Congress was instituted, the Navy retained firm executive control over the island’s inhabitants, consulting the Congress only in an advisory manner from time to time.

While the United States’ attention was riveted on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, the island was struggling to repel invading Japanese forces with a small contingent of U.S. Marines and Guard Forces. The defense ultimately failed, and Japan occupied the island for the next three years. Residents were loyal to the United States, and often faced deprivation, forced marches and massacres at the hands of the occupying forces. An especially brutal act of retaliation occurred at the site of Tweeds Cave, where several locals were beheaded for allegedly helping to hide a U.S. serviceman during the war. July of 1944 brought liberation to the island, and the event is still noted today with Liberation Day celebrations and ceremonies island-wide.

By 1950 the United States instituted the Organic Act, making Guam an unincorporated territory of the United States, and granting U.S. citizenship and the right to a representative government to Guam’s inhabitants.

This island is filled with sites of historical interest, and more than 100 are listed on National Register of Historic Places including Fort Santa Agueda in Agana Heights, the Fena Massacre Site in Agat, the Agana Spanish Dikes, Garrido House in Agana and the U.S. Naval Cemetery in Hagatna.

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