Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm78055319
Collection material in Spanish
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The records of the Spanish colonial government in the Mariana Islands were transferred to the Library of Congress by the U.S. Navy Department in 1903.
The records of the Spanish colonial government in the Mariana Islands were arranged and described in 1968. The finding aid was completed in 1979 and revised in 2011.
It is the researcher's responsibility to determine requirements of domestic copyright laws and international treaties and conventions.
The records of the Spanish colonial government in the Mariana Islands are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
A microfilm edition of these papers is available on twelve reels. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division concerning availability for purchase or interlibrary loan. To promote preservation of the originals, researchers are required to consult the microfilm edition.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Spanish Colonial Government in the Mariana Islands Records, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The Marianas that form a part of Micronesia consist of fourteen single islands and a group of three small islands. They are, from north to south: Pájaros, Maug (3), Asunción, Agrihan, Pagan, Alamagan, Guguan, Sarigan, Anatahan, Medinilla, Saipan, Tinian, Aguijan, Rota, and Guam. These high, volcanic islands were peopled originally by the same wave of migration from Indonesia that settled the rest of Micronesia.
Guam, Rota, and possibly Saipan and Tinian were discovered by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, and named “Islas de los Ladrones” [Thieves Island] for the thieving proclivities of the inhabitants. Later they were called “Islas de las Velas Latina’s” [Islands of Lateen Sails.] During the next hundred years Spanish galleons plying between Mexico and the Philippines frequently stopped in the Marianas to take on food and water. The islands were formally claimed for Spain in 1564 by Admiral Miguel López de Legaspi, and were rechristened “Marianas” in honor of Queen María Ana, widow of Philip IV of Spain. A Jesuit mission was established on Guam in 1668 led by Diego Luis de Sanvítores, and after a trying period of wars owing to the cultural clash between friars, soldiers, and natives, Antonio de Sarávia was sent to the islands as royal governor in 1681. A fort was built and a garrison of between twenty and eighty men was henceforth stationed on Guam. A royal order of June 1668 required the Acapulco galleons to put in at Guam.
Colonial government began to take shape formally in 1696. The Marianas were subordinate to the Viceroy of Mexico until 1821 when Mexico became independent, and after that to the Captain General of the Philippines. A code of laws similar to the one in the Philippines was adopted in the Marianas. The insular authorities consisted of a crown-appointed governor, his aide, a judge of the court of first instance, a treasurer and auditor, captains of the port, and military personnel. At the local level there were three elected officials in each town, a
The Marianas were never a source of wealth for Spain. There were no precious metals, spices, or particularly fertile lands on these barren islands. Agaña, the capital of Guam, had a large prison and was used for prisoners from the Philippines and the Caroline Islands. The ports of Guam, Saipan, and Rota were visited by passing ships. The islands had great strategic value, but they were not self-supporting; foodstuffs, clothing and other supplies were provided first by Mexico and later on by the Administration in Manila. Severe typhoons swept the archipelago periodically destroying crops, wooden houses, and often taking human lives.
Spanish rule lasted until 1898 when Guam was captured by the United States during the Spanish-American War. From this point on, the history of Guam (the largest and most important island) diverges from that of the rest of the Marianas. Guam remains an American territory to this date. Germany purchased the other Marianas from Spain in 1899. The Japanese took military possession of these islands in 1914. They were under a League of Nations mandate from 1922 to World War II. The United States has been administering these islands for the United Nations as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands since 1947.
The following list of governors of Guam up to the year 1898 is taken from the records of the island:
The records of the Mariana Islands span the period 1678-1899 with the bulk of the material falling between 1795 and 1898. Four periods (1795-1808, 1818-1826, 1870-1898) are represented by particularly strong documentation.
The material consists of 157 items which are a combination of original documents or contemporary copies from original documents. They are arranged in a general chronological flow within item groupings. The dates overlap both within and without these groups.
This collection is arranged in a general chronological flow within 157 item groupings in ten broad categories. The dates overlap both within and without these groups.
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm78055319
Available on microfilm. Shelf no. 14,775