What Is the Humåtak Magellan Monument?
This obelisk commemorates the landing site of Fernão de Magalhães (a.k.a. Ferdinand Magellan) in Guam on March 6, 1521!
What Makes It Historical?
The Pacific Ocean was supposed to be placid, but that didn’t make it any less hazardous to first-time crossers! Nope, after weathering a serious mutiny near modern Buenos Aires, and traveling 300 miles south just to find the end of the South American continent, the five ships began a three-month crossing of the Pacific, during which they ran out of food and were reduced to eating rats and maggots! It was at their most desperate point that they sighted the Marianas Islands. His chronicler, Antonio de Pigafetta, didn’t write down the name of the island but because future Spanish ships arrived here consistently, the commemorative monument was raised here in Humåtak in 1926!
Following Magellan’s visit, Guam and the other Marianas Islands came to be called the Islands of Thieves (Islas de Ladrones). Why? Well, one of the officers slapped a CHamoru, which escalated into a spear fight in which one of the ship’s skiffs was stolen! In retaliation, Magellan’s crew lit several villages on fire, killing seven, and sailing off to his doom in the Philippines, having claimed the islands of thieves for the Spanish crown! Since 1970, the arrival of the Magellan voyage has been commemorated with the Guam Discovery Day festival on the first Monday of March!
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?
In Umatac Bay Park
On San Dionisio Drive between Jose Q. Aguon St. and Nino Perdido St.
Humåtak, GU
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Whenever the mood strikes you!
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