A precursor to the concrete typhoon proof pillbox style of buildings common to contemporary Guam were wood and tin homes. These simple homes were the dominant form of residential housing until the 1960s.
Wood and Tin Houses Read Post »
Hurao is one of the most celebrated Chamorro/CHamoru chiefs in Guam’s history. He was a Hagåtña Chamorri (high caste) in the late 1600’s, who with the backing of the village makanas (spiritual leaders), was key in instigating the Spanish-CHamoru War.
A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated steel having a semicircular cross section. Following the retaking of Guam by the United States during World War II, construction began in earnest to transform the island into a military stronghold capable of striking the Japanese mainland.
Agualin (also referred to in historic documents as “Aguarin”) was a Chamorro/CHamoru chief who led several revolts against the Spanish. He was from Hagåtña, but traveled from village to village to inspire other CHamorus to fight Spanish colonialism and Catholicism.
Throughout Guam’s history the most common type home was a rectangular pole and thatch structure with a raised floor. Today this type of structure has been replaced for the most part by concrete homes.
Pole and Thatched Homes Read Post »
Laura Maud Thompson (1905-2000), a distinguished sociocultural anthropologist who studied peoples and cultures around the world, is best known for her comprehensive studies of the Chamorro/CHamoru people of Guam.
Laura Maud Thompson Read Post »
The Spanish introduced cal y canto or lime mortar and stone construction to Guam. This includes the rare de silleria or dressed cut stone, and the more common mampostería.
Latte structures are stone archaeological remains unique to the Mariana Islands. A stone pillar supports a hemispherical capstone to form a latte.
Latte (also latde) is a CHamoru term that refers to stone pillars and cup-shaped capitals or capstones, which represent house supports and are ascribed to the ancient people of the Mariana Islands. In some accounts, they are also referred to as casas de los antiguos (houses of the ancients).
The arrival of Supertyphoon Karen in 1962 launched a new chapter in the architectural evolution on Guam. With ninety percent of the buildings on the island decimated by the estimated 176 mile per hour winds, federal rehabilitation funds were invested for the creation of housing developments.
Kaiser Pre-Fab Homes Read Post »
