LUGÅT : TRES REYES

That there is an area of Yoña called Tres Reyes, we can firmly say.

But there's not much more we can say about it!

Even maps indicating its location do not jive with the common understanding of the older generation.

The name itself, Tres Reyes, means "Three Kings." These are the Wise Men, or Magi, talked about in the Bible, in the Gospel of Matthew, who were from the East (probably Persia) and who visited the child Jesus, bringing him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Their feast is January 6.

LOCATION

One map of Yoña, made after the war, shows that Tres Reyes is located just south of Yoña proper and south of MU Lujan School.

The difficulty here is that residents of Yoña today do not consider this area circled above to be Tres Reyes. They call it Camp Witek.

The older people of Yoña I have talked to consider Tres Reyes to be further inland from the main road, as indicated in the satellite photo of Yoña seen at the top of this post.

WHY TRES REYES?

According to some people living in the area called Tres Reyes, the name comes from the three hills that are seen in that area. One of the older women of the area took me outside her home in Tres Reyes to show me two of the three hills. One of them is pictured above.

A MYSTERY

Why, then, does a Guam map show Tres Reyes to be located in an area that today's residents say is not called Tres Reyes? None of the pre-war maps I have found so far mention Tres Reyes.

Could it be that Tres Reyes once included the area now known as Camp Witek? And, over time, people stopped regarding that area as part of Tres Reyes?

Or did the map makers make a mistake when they called that area Tres Reyes?

One final note. On the village marker, which includes the names of the various districts within the municipality, Tres Reyes is not mentioned at all.

No Tres Reyes

The Three Kings had a star to help them find their destination.

We might need a star to help us find the historic area called Tres Reyes.