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Guam's Ancient Chamorro Culture
Home » Guam » Guam - The People and the Culture » Guam's Ancient Chamorro CultureMany scholars believe the origin of the Chamorro race, the original Guamanians, to have come from Southeast Asia perhaps around 2000 BC. They were highly advanced in fishing, hunting, and horticulture; the society was also full of craftsmen, seamen, and artists. The society was matriarchal, and the women of the culture are primarily to thank for the survival of the language and many other Chamorro traditions.
One of the other pieces of ancient Chamorro culture that has survived as an intricate part of Guam’s heritage is Latte Stones. These are stone pillars found only in that particular part of the world, symbols of Guam and the other Marianas Islands. Usually these pillars were designed with a coral limestone column for the Chamorro houses as well as a capstone. Ancient Chamorros would bury treasures like wealth and canoes beneath their latte stones, and the stones themselves were treated with absolute respect (no one would even touch them!). Important points in Guamanian history and eras were also tied to Latte Stones. Today, Latte Stones and their replicas, representing ancient Chamorro’s cultural affects on Guam, can be seen throughout that island and the Marianas.
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