Gravestone of a Chamorro in Sumay Cemetery
In Spanish
At the top of this lápida are the initials R.I.P. for the Latin Requiescat In Pace, which means "Rest In Peace."
Then it reads :
Aquí yacen los restos
mortales de D. Juan
de la Cruz que falleció
el día 28 de Marzo
del año 1910.
(Here rest the mortal
remains of Don Juan
de la Cruz who passed away
on the 28th day of March
in the year 1910.)
At the bottom, barely legible, is written :
Su hijo D. Ygnacio
le dedica este cari-
ñoso recuerdo.
(His son Don Ygnacio
dedicates to him this
loving memorial.)
NOTES
- I am almost sure this is the grave of Tun Ignacion Tuan's grandfather. Tun Ignacio was Ignacio Alcantara Cruz, son of Ignacio Mendiola Cruz, whose father was Juan Cruz. Tuan was his "better-known-as." If this is the case, then this is the great-grandfather of Dr. Olivia Cruz and her siblings.
- In Spanish, I and Y have the same sound as vowels. So Ignacio was sometimes spelled Ygnacio; the same with Ysabel-Isabel and Ysidro-Isidro. We Chamorros have inherited this in cases such as Ypao-Ipao, Ylig-Ilig and Ysengsong-Isengsong. If I'm not mistaken, our license plates say "Tano Y Chamorro," again a throwback to Spanish times when Y and I sounded the same, and they still do in Spain and, I guess, apparently, to us. Though I prefer to stick with the I and use the Y as a consonant as in Yigo or Yu'us. Otherwise one could write, "Y Yy'os-ta." "Our God." Doesn't "I Yi'os-ta" look clearer?
- All Cruzes started out as "de la Cruz," then dropped the "de la" for convenience. A small number have kept the "de la."
Thank you Pale Eric.
ReplyDeleteThey were my ancestors. My Dad is Noel P. Cruz, Sr., 3rd in line of Ignacion Tuan's 9 children.
FAMILIAN TUAN !!!!!!!
IF this is the great-grandfather of Dr. Olivia Cruz and her siblings, then this is also the great grandfather of of the late Alexis Cruz Flores and his only brother, the late Sabino Cruz Flores, whose mother, Guadalupe Alcantara Cruz Flores was Ignacio Alcantara Cruz's sister.
ReplyDeleteAlex and Sabino's beautiful and beloved mother caught the attention of and married Nieves Mariano Flores, originally from the Philippines, who came to Guam after being hired by the United States Navy as a surveyor, and opened Guam's first private school many years afterwards, the "Guam Institute". Guadalupe Alcantara Cruz Flores' body was also laid to rest after her death at the Sumay Cemetary.
Påle is this the same Don Juan de la Cruz who was the director of the college and lived in a large home in Hagåtña? According to the Freycinet expedition, he was said to be a man of no Spanish blood and a direct descendant of Matåpang. To hold the title of Don and to be a director of the college as a full blooded Chamorro was notable for that time period. Could you confirm this?
ReplyDeletePåle is this the same Don Juan de la Cruz who was the director of the college and had a large home in Hagåtña? He is talked about in the Freycinet Expedition's accounts. He is said to be of full Chamorro blood and a direct descendant of Matåpang. Could you confirm this?
ReplyDelete