Guam: Mythology Meets History
The colors of the tropics are in full display on the hills overlooking the verdant Umatac Bay, as the sun sets in hues of purple and orange. There’s an ironic kind of romanticism to watching the day end on Guam’s southwest coast – a place where it all began, in more ways than one.
This area is both the center of creation in Chamorro mythology and the point where Western explorers first set foot on Guam. Just outside of the bay itself, along the coast to the north is a shard of rock jutting up into the air known as Creation Point, or Fouha Rock. This area has spiritual significance to the Chamorro people, as oral tradition suggests this is where the gods birthed the first humans.
The best views of Umatac Bay are from the ruins of Fort Nuestra Senora de la Soledad, on a cliff overlooking the southern end of the horseshoe-shaped cove. This natural harbor is one of the few in Guam that is not blocked by a coral reef. It is here that Ferdinand Magellan, the first Western explorer to circumnavigate the globe, landed in Guam in 1521. A monument in the small town along the shores of the bay pays tribute to this East-meets-West event.
Though Magellan was Portuguese, the Spanish soon colonized the island, using it as an important way station along the galleon trade route between the colonies in the Philippines and Mexico. Needing to protect their ships from foreign invaders and pirates, the Spanish built a ring of battery forts along the highland surrounding the cove. Today, only Fort Nuestra Senora de la
Soledad remains open to visitors. While not large, there is a well-preserved sentry turret and three replica cannons on the battery. The battlement has great views over the bay, with the dilapidated foundations of several other forts visible on the opposite bluffs. There are no facilities at the site, but there is an informational sign describing the fort and pointing out the others that can be seen from the overlook.
Getting there: Umatac Bay is about a 30 minute drive south of Guam’s capital, Hagåtña, taking Route 1 to Route 2. Umatac village is the first seaside community you come two as you descend from the mountains along the southwest coast.
Admission: The fort is free to visit.
