Wednesday, September 21, 2011

SOME CHAMORRO OFFICIALS

Colegio de San Juan de Letrán
Hagåtña

Blessed Diego Luís de Sanvitores established a school in Hagåtña, the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán (named after Saint John Lateran in Rome).  Colegio did not mean "college" in the modern, American sense (like a university).  A colegio in those days simply meant "school."  It was financed through a grant from the Spanish Queen María Ana de Austria, from whom we get the name Marianas for all our islands.

The colegio maintained two ranches at one time, to earn some income and to train students.  One ranch was at Agofan and the other at Toto.

As early as 1786, which is just 118 years after Sanvitores arrived, some of the colegio's officials were Chamorros.  The rector of the colegio was the Spanish priest of Hagåtña, but the mayordomo, teacher and ranch managers were all Chamorros, with mainly indigenous surnames.  The mayordomo was a kind of superintendent, looking after the daily affairs of the school.

From a salary list of 1786, we know who these officials were :

Basilio Taitiguang - Mayordomo
Pedro Ñauta - teacher
Francisco Quitugua - manager, Agofan ranch
Luciano Guerrero - manager, Toto ranch

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