Profiles, villages, and island life
Pedro Calungsod arrived in Guam 15 June 1668, along with Father Diego Luis de San Vitores and a group of Jesuit missionaries and lay assistants from the Philippines. Father San Vitores believed that young men, strong in their faith like Calungsod, would be helpful in influencing the youth in the Marianas.
Hagåtña is derived from the word haga, meaning blood. It is believed that this village came about due to the bloodlines of the families that established the village. Appearing as “Agadña” or “Agaña” in Spanish maps, and later, “Agana” in American maps, the Guam Legislature in 1998 changed the official spelling to “Hagåtña” to reflect the original CHamoru pronunciation of the village’s name.
The origin of the village name Dededo, Dedidu in CHamoru, may come from the practice of measuring using fingers. The Spanish word for finger is “dedo.” It can be theorized that someone measured out the original village this way. Another possibility is that the word “dededo” is a version of the word “dedeggo,” which means “heel of the foot,” or that it comes from the word “deggo” which means to “walk on tiptoes.”
Chalan Pago is a CHamoru word that means “Pago Road.” Chalan Pago referred to the area traveled through to get from Hagåtña to Pago, which may lend to the naming of the area, which is covered with Pago trees (hibiscus tiliaceus). Pago was one of the reducción villages established by Father Diego Luís de San Vitores, who established the Catholic mission in the Marianas in the 1670s.
Chalan Pago-Ordot (Chålan Pågu-Otdot) Read Post »
Padre Don Jose Bernardo Palomo y Torres (1836 – 1919) was the first CHamoru priest. He is most often referred to as Father Jose Torres Palomo or Padre Palomo.
Padre Jose Bernardo Palomo Read Post »
Barrigada comes from the CHamoru word meaning “flank” (the side of the stomach). The first written mention of the word “Barrigada” comes from Recollect Father Aniceto Ibanez del Carmen, who served on Guam for 40 years and in 1866, referred to people hunting deer in the region called “Barrigadan Tiyan.”
Barrigada (Barigåda) Read Post »
In March 1602, Franciscan lay brother Fray Juan Pobre de Zamora deserted a ship off the shores of Rota, an island just north of Guam. Although he was only in the Mariana Islands for seven months, he provided an invaluable historical contribution through descriptive written accounts of the lives, customs, and culture of Chamorros/CHamorus in the early 17th century.
Fray Juan Pobre de Zamora Read Post »
The village of Asan probably derives its name from the word Hassan, which means scarce or rare in CHamoru. There are several theories of the origin of the name of the sub-community of Ma’ina, which comes from the CHamoru word ina (to illuminate or shine on).
Asan-Maina (Assan-Ma’ina) Read Post »
Fray Francisco Resano del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus (1851 – 1914), a member of the Order of the Augustinian Recollects, spent several years in the Mariana Islands and was known for his judicious and pacifist manner during times of trial.
Fray Francisco Resano Read Post »
Fray Antonio de Los Ángeles was the first known Catholic missionary to write an account of Chamorro/CHamoru life. De los Ángeles was a Franciscan friar on his way from Acapulco, Mexico to the Philippines in 1596 when his ship, the San Pablo, stopped at Guam.
Fray Antonio de Los Ángeles Read Post »
