The First Missions in Oceania

Excavations at the Colonial Church and Cemetery of San Dionisio at Humatak (Guam, Mariana Islands)

Authors

  • Sandra Montón-Subías Universitat Pompeu Fabra
  • Natalia Moragas Universitat de Barcelona
  • James Morrison Bayman University of Hawai‘i-Mānoa

Abstract

This essay outlines and explores the broader implications of preliminary archaeological excavations at the colonial church and cemetery of San Dionisio (Humatak, Guam, Mariana Islands).  The native Chamorro of the Marianas were the first Pacific Islanders to experience European colonialism following the inception of the Jesuit mission in 1668. Although the Marianas were once perceived as a peripheral outpost of Spanish colonialism in the 17th century, recent scholarship reveals that such locales epitomize the underlying logic of the Jesuit mission system. Moreover, it is increasingly clear that in spite of centuries of colonialism, Guam offers a striking example of indigenous resilience and the vitality of archaeological heritage in the maintenance of contemporary cultural identity.

Additional Files

Published

10-08-2020

How to Cite

Montón-Subías, S., Moragas, N. and Bayman, J. M. (2020) “The First Missions in Oceania: Excavations at the Colonial Church and Cemetery of San Dionisio at Humatak (Guam, Mariana Islands)”, Journal of Pacific Archaeology, 11(2), pp. 62–73. Available at: https://pacificarchaeology.org/index.php/journal/article/view/304 (Accessed: 29 March 2024).

Issue

Section

Special Issue Articles