Humåtak (formerly Umatac) is a village on the southwestern coast of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

territory of

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

. The month of March in the

Chamorro language Chamorro (; ch, Finuʼ Chamorro, links=no (CNMI), (Guam)) is an Austronesian language spoken by about 58,000 people (about 25,800 people on Guam and about 32,200 in the rest of the Mariana Islands and elsewhere). It is the native and spoken ...

is "Umatalaf," or "to catch guatafi," which is believed to be the root word of Umatac. The village's population has decreased since the island's 2010 census, and it is by far the least populated village on the island.

Mount Bolanos Mount Bolanos is a south-west peak in the United States territory of Guam. Rising to above sea level, it is the 3rd highest peak in Guam (after Mount Lamlam and Mount Jumullong Manglo, and before Mount Almagosa). Nearby are located the Bolanos ...

, at an elevation of , is the 3rd highest peak of Guam and lies away.

History

Prior to

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

arrival on the island, an annual celebration was held north of the village at

Fouha Rock Fouha Point, also known as Fouha Rock or Creation Point, is a National Natural Landmark on the United States territory of Guam. A natural rock formation, the point rises to some above the waters of Fouha Bay, close to the village of Umatac. Th ...

where the first humans were created according to the legends of the

Chamorro people The Chamorro people (; also CHamoru) are the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands, politically divided between the United States territory of Guam and the encompassing Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia. Today, signif ...

, the native people of Guam. In 1521, the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

Explorer

Ferdinand Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the East ...

arrived on Guam while circumnavigating the globe. Umatac Bay is traditionally cited as the location of the Spanish landing. Another explorer,

Miguel López de Legazpi Miguel López de Legazpi (12 June 1502 – 20 August 1572), also known as '' El Adelantado'' and ''El Viejo'' (The Elder), was a Spaniard who, from the age of 26, lived and built a career in Mexico (then the Viceroyalty of New Spain) and, i ...

, arrived in Umatac in 1565 and claimed the island of Guam for Spain. When Guam was colonized in the 17th century, the Spanish made Umatac a parish so the Chamorro people in the area could be converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. Remains of two Spanish forts built on hills on either side of the village - Fort Nuestra Señora de la Soledad and Fort San Jose - are still visible today. In 1898, Guam was taken by the United States during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. Under the U.S. administration, the small village has grown gradually. The

Discovery Day Discovery Day is the name of several holidays commemorating the discovery of land, gold, and other significant national discoveries. The Bahamas The Bahamas Discovery Day was a public holiday on October 12, that celebrated the arrival of Christoph ...

festival is held every year in the village. While the holiday was first established in memory of Magellan's discovery of the island, it is now a celebration of Chamorro culture. In August 2021, Gov.

Lou Leon Guerrero Lourdes Aflague "Lou" Leon Guerrero (born November 8, 1950) is an American politician who has served as the 9th governor of Guam since 2019. She was president and CEO of the Bank of Guam from 2007 to 2017, having previously served as a senator o ...

signed a bill officially changing the name of the village.

Demographics

The

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

designates one

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

, Umatac.

Education

The

Guam Department of Education The Guam Department of Education (GDOE), formerly the Guam Public School System, is a school district that serves the United States territory of Guam. The school district can be thought of as analogous to the school districts of other cities and co ...

serves the island. The F. Q. Sanchez Elementary School in Umatac has closed at the end of summer 2011 due to budget cuts. Students have shifted to a nearby

Merizo Malesso' (formerly Merizo) is the southernmost village in the United States territory of Guam. Cocos Island (Chamorro: Islan Dåno) is a part of the municipality. The village's population has decreased since the island's 2010 census. Malesso' is ...

Elementary School. The unused facility was then cleared for use by the Umatac Mayor's Office. Southern High School in Santa Rita serves the village.Guam's Public High Schools
" ''Guam Public School System''. Accessed September 8, 2008.

Mayor of Umatac

Commissioner

*Jesus T. Quinata (1961–1969) *Jesus S. Quinata (1952–1961) *Albert T. Topasna (1969–1973)

Mayor

* Albert T. Topasna ''(1st Term)'' (1973–1985) * Cecilia Q. Morrison (1985–1989) * Albert T. Topasna ''(2nd Term)'' (1989–1991) * Dean D. Sanchez ''(1st Term)'' (1991–1993) * Jose T. Quinata (1993–1997) * Jesus A. Aquiningoc (1997–2001) * Tony A. Quinata (2001–2005) * Daniel Q. Sanchez (2005–2009) * Dean D. Sanchez ''(2nd Term)'' (2009–2013) * Johnny A. Quinata (2013–present)

References

* Rogers, Robert F (1995). Destiny's Landfall: A History of Guam: University of Hawai'i Press. * Sanchez, Pedro C. Guahan, Guam: The History of our Island: Sanchez Publishing House.

External links

"Umatac (Humåtak)"
- article o
Guampedia.com

by Anthony P. Sanchez, ''

Pacific Daily News The ''Pacific Daily News'', formerly ''Guam Daily News'', is a morning edition newspaper based in Hagåtña, in the United States territory of Guam. It is owned by Kaleo Moylan and is published seven days a week. History ''Guam Daily News'' bega ...

'', 26 April 2007
Village Map
''Pacific Daily News'' * {{Coord, 13, 17, 53, N, 144, 39, 32, E, type:city_region:US-GU, display=title Census-designated places in Guam