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Umatac
Home » Guam » Guam - Major Cities and Regions » UmatacThe municipality of Umutac (which consequently is also spelled Humutac) is located on the south-west of Guam and has approximately 890 people living there. However, despite its seemingly small size, Umatac is an important village in Guam. It is most likely the location of Ferdinand Magellan’s arrival on Guam – the first contact that the Guamanians had with the West. The second Spanish explorer to arrive – Miguel Lopez de Legazpi – also landed in Umatac bay when he claimed Guam for Spain.
When the Spanish officially settled the island, Umatac became a parish where the Chamorros were forced to convert to Christianity. When the U.S. Administration took over Guam in 1898, the little village began to grow and has been growing since. The Discovery Day is a festival that the village has every year to celebrate Chamorro culture and in memory of Magellan discovering the island. Two Spanish forts from this era still stand in part and are evidence of the village’s past.
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