Spanish delegation gives plaque to Umatac
A delegation sent from the king of Spain presented a commemorative plaque to the people of Umatac in honor of seafaring.
The village hosted an event Monday with island leaders and the visiting delegation to unveil the plaque as well as send out floating wreaths into Umatac Bay in honor of those who have died under colonial rule.
The Spanish delegation includes Rear Adm. Santiago Barber Lopez, Capt. Carlos Mate San Roman and Maria Saavedra Inaraja, a release from Adelup stated.
The delegation is on Guam as part of the ongoing commemoration of the 500th year anniversary of Ferdinand Magellan s visit to the island.
Spanish tall ship arrives in Guam waters
The canoes sailed alongside the ship as a gesture of welcome to the island.
Residents watched from the shores as the ship made its way down to Naval Base Guam.
Moñeka De Oro brought her family visiting Guam to see the ship at Paseo de Susana Friday morning.
She said she saw a message in a chat group that the ship was passing the area and dropped what she was doing because she thought it would be special to bring her family to see it. She said she was happy to see the sakman, or traditional CHamoru canoes, out to greet the ship, which asserts the story of Guam s ancestors.
Residents encouraged to look west for Spanish ship Friday morning
Guam on Friday will welcome the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, a Spanish Navy ship, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation.
A small ceremony with dignitaries to greet the ship will be live-streamed, will be closed to the public due to COVID-19. However, Melvin Won Pat-Borja, president of the Department of CHamoru Affairs, said residents are encouraged to see the ship from the Western shore.
The ship is expected around 5 a.m. Friday, with an expected dock time at Naval Base Guam around 10:45 a.m. The ship travels by sail, so times can change depending on conditions at sea.
Rare manuscript from Spain to be given to UOG
Staff Reports
A rare Spanish manuscript about the history of the Mariana Islands will be turned over to the University of Guam by a Spanish delegation visiting Guam for the quincentennial commemoration of Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation of the globe.
The head of the delegation, Adm. Santiago Barber y López, will present the manuscript to UOG President Thomas Krise this week to be permanently deposited at the Richard Flores Taitano Micronesian Area Research Center at UOG.
It will be viewable by the public later this year in a new exhibit at MARC.