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

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

territory of

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

. The month of March in the

Chamorro language Chamorro (, ; orthern Mariana Islandsor uam) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language spoken by about 58,000 people, numbering about 25,800 on Guam and about 32,200 in the Northern Mariana Islands and elsewhere. It is the h ...

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, at an elevation of , is the third highest peak of Guam and lies away. On August 18, 2021, the municipality place name was officially changed from Umatac to Humåtak.

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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

arrival on the island, an annual celebration was held north of the village at Fouha Rock where the first humans were created according to the legends of the

Chamorro people The Chamorro people (; also Chamoru) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous people of the Mariana Islands, politically divided between the Territories of the United States, United States territory of Guam and the encompassing Norther ...

, the native people of Guam. In 1521, the Portuguese Explorer

Ferdinand Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer best known for having planned and led the 1519–22 Spanish expedition to the East Indies. During this expedition, he also discovered the Strait of Magellan, allowing his fl ...

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 ''Adelantado, El Adelantado'' and ''El Viejo'' (The Elder), was a Spanish conquistador who financed and led an expedition to conquer the Philippines, Philippine islan ...

, 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, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. 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 visible. In 1898, Guam was taken by the United States during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. 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 Christop ...

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 and former banking executive, lobbyist, and nurse who has served as the ninth governor of Guam since 2019.Haidee Eugenio Gilbert''Crowd: Governor's speech inspi ...

signed a bill officially changing the name of the village.

Demographics

The

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

designates one

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

, 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 a ...

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. In regards to the

Department of Defense Education Activity The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on beh ...

(DoDEA), Umatac is in the school attendance zone for McCool Elementary and McCool Middle School, while Guam High School is the island's sole DoDEA high school. No DoDEA school buses go to Umatac.

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 an online newspaper based in Hagåtña, in the United States territory of Guam. It is owned by Kaleo Moylan. History ''Guam Daily News'' began as a newspaper of the United States Navy ...

'', 26 April 2007
Village Map
''Pacific Daily News'' * Census-designated places in Guam {{DEFAULTSORT:Humåtak, Guam