Guam’s Villages

The village of Asan probably derives its name from the word Hassan, which means scarce or rare in CHamoru. There are several theories of the origin of the name of the sub-community of Ma’ina, which comes from the CHamoru word ina (to illuminate or shine on).

The village of Hågat may have been named by the first clan who came to settle in the area from the northern part of Guam. It is also possible that the village name Hagat originally was derived from the word Aga, which is the CHamoru name of the Marianas Crow – a large black bird that makes the sound “aga” while flying low over the jungle.

Agana Heights sits just above the capital city of Hagåtña and was a resettlement community for many residents of old Hagåtña after World War II ended in 1944.