Latte Stones in Agana, Guam
Trip Start
Jun 16, 2006
1
8
17
Trip End
Jun 29, 2006
Agana,
Guam
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Today, the enduring latte are found in coastal areas and valleys. The latte are the prominent remnants of the earlier Chamorro culture of the Mariana Islands. Each latte is comprised of two stones. The shaft stone place on the ground is the haligi, and the cap stone is the tasa. The latte were placed in parallel rows, consisting of 3-7 latte per row. Latte vary in height from less than 1 meter to 6 meters.
The latte were constructed by the Chamorros, from 1100 to 1700 A.D. Principally found on the islands of Guam, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan. Latte were used as the foundations of important structures in Chamorro villages. Their use in the Chamarro culture vanished when the Spanish devastated the islands in the 1600s.
These latte, relocated in 1956, are from the former village of Mepo in the Fena Valley of the current Ordninance Annex, US Naval Activities, Guam. The village site was destroyed by military construction after World War II.
