is in the upper right. The
Hagåtña River was rerouted by Navy
Seabees after the
Battle of Guam and no longer flows under the
Spanish Bridge. Hagåtña was a prominent village before Guam's
colonization by the Spanish. In 1668, the first Spanish
missionary led by the Spanish priest
San Vitores and his team arrived on the island. The colonizers proselytized and forced the indigenous
Chamorro people to convert to Christianity, in many cases without consent. One of those who converted,
Chief Kepuha, donated land in Hagåtña enabling San Vitores to build the first church (
Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica) on Guam, which was used by San Vitores to further colonize the indigenous peoples and their lands. Under Spanish rule, and particularly the
Spanish-Chamorro Wars, much of the indigenous population of Guam and other
Mariana Islands were forced to relocate to the city after a
genocide was instigated and conducted by the Spanish, led by San Vitores, against the indigenous population. The remains of buildings from the Spanish administration can be seen in the Plaza de España located beside the cathedral of the
Archdiocese of Agaña. The remains of the Spanish Governor's Palace is here and is closer to the Department of Education than the Cathedral. After Guam was ceded by
Spain to the
United States in the
Spanish–American War of 1898, Hagåtña remained the seat of government under U.S. Naval Administration. By 1940, the city's population had grown to about 10,000 containing nearly half of the island's residents. Villages had been established nearby for immigrants from the
Caroline Islands. Guam was captured by
Japanese forces on December 8, 1941. The Japanese renamed Guam to Ōmiya-jima (), or
Great Shrine Island, and Hagåtña to Akashi (), or
Bright Stone. During Guam's 1944 liberation from the Japanese during
World War II, the city was heavily damaged by U.S. naval bombardment. Many former residents settled in other parts of Guam after the war. As part of Guam's reconstruction plan, the
U.S. Navy constructed new, straight city streets that passed through existing lots and created many plots of land with multiple owners. This has hindered the development of the city to the present day. In December 1944, Guam was the scene of the
Agana race riot, between black and white servicemen stationed on the island. Today, despite a resident population of about 1,000 (less than 1% of Guam's total), the city remains the seat of the territorial government. Its historic sites are major attractions for visitors. Hagåtña is served by
Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport in
Tamuning and
Barrigada. ==Culture==