Hagåtña, Guam
Encyclopedia
Hagåtña formerly English Agana əˈɡɑːnjə and in Spanish
Agaña, is the capital of the United States
island territory of Guam
. It is the island's second smallest village
in both area and population. From the 18th through mid 20th century, it was Guam's population center. Today, it remains one of the island's major commercial district
s in addition to being the seat of government.
/Chamoru language. The suffix "-ña" can be translated as either the possessive pronouns his, hers or its in English, or a signification of greater comparative degree, similar to some uses of the English suffix "-er". There is much speculation that the natives originally migrated from the village of Agat/Hagåt. Therefore, "Hagåtña" can be translated "his or her blood" possibly meaning "related to him, her or it", or it could be translated to what might roughly mean "more Hagåt", as in, an extension of the village of Hagåt. It could also mean "better Hagåt", or "more than, surpassing or superior to Hagåt" in a sense of being "more Hagåt than Hagåt itself". In 1998, the Guam Legislature
changed the name from "Agana" back to the original Chamorro/Chamoru form. However, the name of the neighboring village Agana Heights, remains unchanged.
, the city has a total area of 1 square mile (2.6 km²). The village is bounded by the sandy beaches of Agana Bay to the north, the Agana River and associated wetlands to the east, and a cliff (above which is the village of Agana Heights) to the South. Several high-rise office buildings are in the center of the village, while the western portion of the city known as Anigua is more residential. Unlike many villages, central Hagåtña is divided into city blocks with shops and small restaurants throughout the center of the village. Highly populated residential areas in the villages of Mongmong-Toto-Maite, Sinajana, and Agana Heights surround Hagåtña.
Hagåtña was a prominent village before Guam's colonization by the Spanish. In 1668, the first Spanish missionary
, Padre San Vitores arrived on the island. The family of Chief Kepuha
donated land in Hagåtña enabling San Vitores to build the first church (Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica) on Guam.
Under Spanish rule, much of the indigenous population of Guam and other Mariana Islands
was forced to relocate to the city. The remains of buildings from the Spanish administration can be seen in the Plaza de España located beside the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Agana. The remains of the Spanish Governor's Palace is here and is closer to the Department of Education than the Cathedral.
After Guam was ceded by Spain
to the United States
in the Spanish-American War
of 1898, 'Agana' remained the seat of government under U.S. Naval Administration. By 1940, the city's population had grown to about 10,000 containing nearly half of the island's residents.
Guam was captured by Japan
ese forces on December 8, 1941. During Guam's 1944 liberation from the Japanese during World War II
, the city was heavily damaged by U.S. naval bombardment. Many former residents settled in other parts of Guam after the war. As part of Guam's reconstruction plan, the U.S. Navy constructed new straight city streets that passed through existing lots and created many plots of land with multiple owners. This has hindered the development of the city to the present day. In December 1944 Guam was the scene of the Agana race riot
, between black and white servicemen stationed on the island.
Today, despite a resident population of only 1,100 (less than 1% of Guam's total), the city remains the seat of the territorial government. Its historic sites are major attractions for visitors. Hagåtña is served by Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport
in Tamuning and Barrigada.
As Guam's historic population and administrative center, many traditional celebrations take place in Hagåtña. On December 8, Santa Marian Kamalen, Patroness of the Mariana Islands
, is honored by a procession where a statue of the patroness is pulled on a cart amid the prayers of thousands of the island's Catholic
s http://ns.gov.gu/kamalen.html. Guam's most celebrated patriotic holiday, Liberation Day is on July 21. The annual Liberation Day Parade takes place on Marine Corps Drive in Hagåtña. In addition to the historic sites at the Plaza de España and the Basilica, Latte Stone Park and the Chamorro Village shopping area offer further information about the island's history and culture.
, of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
, is located in Suite 505 of the Bank of Guam Building.
, the governor's office and other government offices are located in Hagåtña. The Government House , traditionally the governor's official residence, is situated above the cliff but technically within the city limit of Hagåtña. Adelup
, now home of the Ricardo J. Bordallo Governor’s Complex since 1990, was once part of Asan-Maina
before being annexed into Hagåtña so that Hagåtña remains the seat of the Government of Guam.
The Guam Department of Corrections
operates the Hagåtña Detention Facility in Hagåtña.
Notable federal government agencies in Hagåtña include the District Court of Guam
at 520 West Soledad Avenue, the United States Attorney
at Sirena Plaza, 108 Hernan Cortez, Suite 500, and the United States Postal Service
Post Office at 223 West Chalan Santo Papa.
serves the entire island of Guam.
Hagåtña residents are zoned to:
operates the Nieves M. Flores Memorial Library at 254 Martyr Street in Hagåtña.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
Agaña, is the capital of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
island territory of Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. It is the island's second smallest village
Villages of Guam
||The United States territory of Guam is divided into 19 municipalities more commonly called villages. Each municipality is governed by an elected mayor. Village populations range in size from under 1,000 to over 40,000. As of the 2000 census, the total population of Guam was 154,805. - History...
in both area and population. From the 18th through mid 20th century, it was Guam's population center. Today, it remains one of the island's major commercial district
Commercial district
A commercial district or commercial zone is any part of a city or town in which the primary land use is commercial activities , as opposed to a residential neighbourhood, an industrial zone, or other types of neighbourhoods...
s in addition to being the seat of government.
Etymology
"Hagåt" (also romanized as haga, with a glottal stop instead of a syllable-final "t") means "blood" in the ChamorroChamorro language
Chamorro is a Malayo-Polynesian language, spoken on the Mariana Islands by about 47,000 people Chamorro (Chamorro: Fino' Chamoru or simply Chamoru) is a Malayo-Polynesian (Austronesian) language, spoken on the Mariana Islands (Guam, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan) by about 47,000 people Chamorro...
/Chamoru language. The suffix "-ña" can be translated as either the possessive pronouns his, hers or its in English, or a signification of greater comparative degree, similar to some uses of the English suffix "-er". There is much speculation that the natives originally migrated from the village of Agat/Hagåt. Therefore, "Hagåtña" can be translated "his or her blood" possibly meaning "related to him, her or it", or it could be translated to what might roughly mean "more Hagåt", as in, an extension of the village of Hagåt. It could also mean "better Hagåt", or "more than, surpassing or superior to Hagåt" in a sense of being "more Hagåt than Hagåt itself". In 1998, the Guam Legislature
Legislature of Guam
The Legislature of Guam is the territorial legislature of Guam. The legislative branch of the unincorporated U.S. territory is unicameral, with a single house consisting of fifteen senators, serving for a two year term...
changed the name from "Agana" back to the original Chamorro/Chamoru form. However, the name of the neighboring village Agana Heights, remains unchanged.
Geography
Hagåtña is located at the mouth of the Hagåtña River on Guam's west coast. According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1 square mile (2.6 km²). The village is bounded by the sandy beaches of Agana Bay to the north, the Agana River and associated wetlands to the east, and a cliff (above which is the village of Agana Heights) to the South. Several high-rise office buildings are in the center of the village, while the western portion of the city known as Anigua is more residential. Unlike many villages, central Hagåtña is divided into city blocks with shops and small restaurants throughout the center of the village. Highly populated residential areas in the villages of Mongmong-Toto-Maite, Sinajana, and Agana Heights surround Hagåtña.
History
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
, Padre San Vitores arrived on the island. The family of Chief Kepuha
Chief Kepuha
Chief Kepuha , also spelled Kipuhá or Quipuha, was the island of Guam's first Catholic chief. The chief's name means "striving to capsize." He granted the lands to Spanish missionaries upon which the first Catholic church in the Marianas was built...
donated land in Hagåtña enabling San Vitores to build the first church (Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica) on Guam.
Under Spanish rule, much of the indigenous population of Guam and other Mariana Islands
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
was forced to relocate to the city. The remains of buildings from the Spanish administration can be seen in the Plaza de España located beside the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Agana. The remains of the Spanish Governor's Palace is here and is closer to the Department of Education than the Cathedral.
After Guam was ceded by Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
of 1898, 'Agana' remained the seat of government under U.S. Naval Administration. By 1940, the city's population had grown to about 10,000 containing nearly half of the island's residents.
Guam was captured by Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese forces on December 8, 1941. During Guam's 1944 liberation from the Japanese during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the city was heavily damaged by U.S. naval bombardment. Many former residents settled in other parts of Guam after the war. As part of Guam's reconstruction plan, the U.S. Navy constructed new straight city streets that passed through existing lots and created many plots of land with multiple owners. This has hindered the development of the city to the present day. In December 1944 Guam was the scene of the Agana race riot
Agana race riot
The Agana race riot took place at Agana, Guam over the two nights of 24 December-25 December, 1944 during the War in the Pacific.It was one of the most serious incidents between African American military personnel and White enlisted men during the Second World War.-Background:In July 1944, the 3rd...
, between black and white servicemen stationed on the island.
Today, despite a resident population of only 1,100 (less than 1% of Guam's total), the city remains the seat of the territorial government. Its historic sites are major attractions for visitors. Hagåtña is served by Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport
Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport
Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport , also known as Guam International Airport, is an airport located in Tamuning and Barrigada, three miles east of the capital city of Hagåtña in the U.S. territory of Guam. It is named for Antonio Borja Won Pat, the first delegate from Guam to the United...
in Tamuning and Barrigada.
Culture
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
, is honored by a procession where a statue of the patroness is pulled on a cart amid the prayers of thousands of the island's Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s http://ns.gov.gu/kamalen.html. Guam's most celebrated patriotic holiday, Liberation Day is on July 21. The annual Liberation Day Parade takes place on Marine Corps Drive in Hagåtña. In addition to the historic sites at the Plaza de España and the Basilica, Latte Stone Park and the Chamorro Village shopping area offer further information about the island's history and culture.
Diplomatic missions
The Taipei Economic and Cultural OfficeTaipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office
A Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office , sometimes known as a Taipei Economic and Cultural Office or a Taipei Representative Office , is a representative office, established by the Republic of China in countries that have diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China...
, of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
Diplomatic missions of the Republic of China
This is a list of diplomatic missions of the Republic of China. Due to the fierce competition between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China for diplomatic recognition, the ROC only maintains a handful of full-fledged diplomatic missions abroad...
, is located in Suite 505 of the Bank of Guam Building.
Infrastructure and government
The island's capital, the legislatureLegislature of Guam
The Legislature of Guam is the territorial legislature of Guam. The legislative branch of the unincorporated U.S. territory is unicameral, with a single house consisting of fifteen senators, serving for a two year term...
, the governor's office and other government offices are located in Hagåtña. The Government House , traditionally the governor's official residence, is situated above the cliff but technically within the city limit of Hagåtña. Adelup
Adelup
Adelup is a settlement in the west of Guam. It is located on the west coast, just to the west of Hagåtña....
, now home of the Ricardo J. Bordallo Governor’s Complex since 1990, was once part of Asan-Maina
Asan, Guam
Asan is a village located on the western shore of the U.S. territory of Guam. The municipality of Asan-Maina combines Asan with Maina, a community in the hills to the east. It was a primary landing site for United States Marines during Guam's liberation from the Japanese in World War II. Asan...
before being annexed into Hagåtña so that Hagåtña remains the seat of the Government of Guam.
The Guam Department of Corrections
Guam Department of Corrections
The Guam Department of Corrections is an agency of the government of Guam that operates the territory's correctional facilities....
operates the Hagåtña Detention Facility in Hagåtña.
Notable federal government agencies in Hagåtña include the District Court of Guam
District Court of Guam
The District Court of Guam is a United States territorial court with jurisdiction over the Territory of Guam. It sits in the capital, Hagåtña....
at 520 West Soledad Avenue, the United States Attorney
U.S. Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands
The United States District Court for the District of Guam is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the Territory of Guam.The United States District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the United States Commonwealth of the Northern...
at Sirena Plaza, 108 Hernan Cortez, Suite 500, and the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
Post Office at 223 West Chalan Santo Papa.
Public schools
The Guam Public School SystemGuam Public School System
Guam Public School System , formerly the Guam Department of Education, is a school district that serves the entire island of Guam, a United States insular area...
serves the entire island of Guam.
Hagåtña residents are zoned to:
- Carlos L. Taitano Elementary School (Sinajana)
- Jose L. G. Rios Middle School (PitiPiti, GuamPiti is a village located on the western shore of Guam. It contains the commercial port of Guam at Apra Harbor as well as several of the island’s largest power plants.- Education :Guam Public School System serves the island....
) - John F. Kennedy High SchoolJohn F. Kennedy High School (Guam)John F. Kennedy High School , formerly Tumon Senior-Junior High School,, is a public secondary school located in the Tumon area of Tamuning, Guam, United States...
(Tamuning)
Private schools
Private schools in Hagåtña include:- Academy of Our Lady of GuamAcademy of Our Lady of GuamAcademy of Our Lady of Guam is an all-girls Catholic high school located at 233 Archbishop Felixberto C. Flores Street in Hagåtña, Guam, United States. AOLG, Guam's sole all-girls high school, has an average yearly enrollment of 400 students....
(Catholic girls' high school located in Hagåtña)
Public libraries
Guam Public Library SystemGuam Public Library System
Guam Public Library System is the public library system of Guam, a United States territory. The main library is the Nieves M...
operates the Nieves M. Flores Memorial Library at 254 Martyr Street in Hagåtña.
External links
- Guampedia, Guam's Online Encyclopedia Hagåtña Village
- Hagåtña Guam at Guam Portal
- City of Hagåtña - Government of Guam
- Virtual Hagåtña