What Is Gadao’s Cave?
This seaside cave contains the most famous rock art in all of Guam!
What Makes It Historical?
While impossible to date precisely, these white, coral-based lime pictographs tread the boundary between history and legend! It’s called Gadao’s Cave for its proximity to the home village of legendary chief, Gadao, and the art is often attributed to Gadao himself, though Christian crosses and stories of Gadao’s defeat at the hands of well armed invaders would place these drawings in the 1520s! The two most famous figures in Gadao’s Cave are said to depict two rival chiefs in their legendary battle of pride!
The story goes that Gadao of Inalåhan was famously strong, and neighboring chief Malaguana wanted to challenge this reputation. So Malaguana visited Inalåhan and asked the first person he met where to find Gadao. Unbeknownst to him, he was speaking to Gadao but thought he was a farmer! Gadao broke open a coconut with his bare hands, and Malaguana, thinking this was just an ordinary villager’s strength, far below the chief’s, he asked to be taken home to Tumon. Once in the canoe, both chiefs paddled so hard in opposite directions that the canoe broke in half, and both sped home without realizing anything was amiss!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer with the Guam Preservation Trust!
- Donate to the Guam Preservation Trust!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
750 feet SE of the intersection of Chagamin Lago Avenue and Guaifan Street
Inalåhan, Guam
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Whenever the mood strikes you!
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