This month, Guampedia launched a new section on its site: the Micronesia Portal. This portal brings together the seven island nations of Micronesia onto one page with write-ups on each of their unique geographies and histories. This portal also contains an interactive map that
Guampedia Newsletter, January 2020
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Guampedia’s New Section
The Mariana Islands
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4000 Years of Trade and Travel 1
Throughout its history, the Mariana Island Archipelago has served as a valuable stop for people voyaging through the Pacific Ocean. The first voyagers to discover these islands arrived more than 3,500 years ago from islands of Southeast Asia, forming the CHamoru people we see today. Peoples from the Caroline Islands have had a lengthy precontact history with the Marianas. Research into indigenous Pacific voyaging overall supports the
theory of controlled indigenous movements throughout the Pacific, thus making centuries of Carolinian voyaging contact with the Marianas – and CHamoru voyaging contact with the Caroline Islands – highly probable. Frequency of visitors increased significantly during the establishment of the Manila Galleon Trade Route, the major route traveled by Spanish galleons from 1565 to 1815 across the Pacific connecting Acapulco in New Spain (Mexico) to the east and
Exactly 50 years ago, in January 1970, the Guam Elective Governor Act was made applicable to the island for their first local gubernatorial election on November 3rd. This marked a significant time in Guam’s history as it became the first instance of locally chosen leadership in over 300 years. This act was passed by the United States Congress on September 11, 1968, granting the people of Guam the authority to elect their governor and Photo of Carlos Camacho, the last lieutenant governor. appointed and first locally elected Click here to read more about the governor of Guam/ Photo courtesy history of the Elective Governor Act. of Guam USA Magazine 1970
This Month In History
outlines the region. Also included within this portal are articles by Dr. James Perez Viernes and Dr. Mike Carson on the shared history and archaeology of Micronesia that can be explored within the Micronesia Milestone Timeline. Click to check out the Micronesia Portal and read more about our diverse region. (1) Trade between CHamorus and European travelers/ Image Courtesy of Johan Ludwig Gottfried/ Guam Public Library (2) An illustration of the Carolinian waa, seafaring canoe by Mr. Paris/ Image Courtesy of Spanish Documents Collection/ Micronesian Area Research Center (MARC)
Manila, Philippines in the west. These galleons carried spices, porcelains and other luxury goods from Asia and gold and silver from the Americas in one of the largest complexes of global exchange of people and goods in human history. The Mariana Islands were one stop along the route. On January 25, 1625, the largest presence of Europeans visited Guam for three weeks. It was the Dutch Nassau Fleet—a flotilla of 11 ships and 1,260 men, plus 32 prisoners — under the command of Jacques L’Hermite that anchored off Umatac’s coast. Scurvy had exacted a heavy toll on the sailors, but for the next 17 days, they recovered after bartering for copious quantities of rice, fruit, and coconuts. In addition, L’Hermite had to double plank the rotten timbers of the ships before returning to the Moluccas. Click on these links to read more about the Carolinians on Guam, Manila Galleon Trade Route, and Dutch Traders.
