Chamorro

The Chamorro, the indigenous people of Guam, have a history that isn’t widely known. And despite resurgence in interest, their culture is still not widely understood.  So before you visit Guam, brush up with part 1 of this primer. History The Chamorro are the indigenous people of Guam. Archaeological evidence shows that the Chamorro people, linked by language and culture, have lived in the Marianas Islands, including Guam, for more than 4000 years. The Spanish began colonization of Guam in the mid-16th century. During this period, Spanish customs and the language were imported to Guam. The Spanish also converted the native Chamorro population to Catholicism. In 1898 the United States took Guam during the Spanish-American War. The island briefly came under Japanese occupation during WWII but was recaptured by U.S. forces. After WWII, Chamorro leaders lobbied for greater autonomy for…