As a young boy I remember my father telling me that Chamorros were an endangered species. How many are there? The 2000 United States Census reported 135,233 Chamorros living in the United States (58,240), Guam (61,922), and the Northern Mariana Islands (15,071). That’s not a lot of Chamorros!
Unless you are a regular reader of this blog, chances are you’ve never even heard of a Chamorro, never mind a famous Chamorro person. I am going to change that. Right here, right now on this very blog you are reading I am going to create the definitive list of famous Chamorro people. But this list is by no means complete. If there is a famous Chamorro person out there, living or dead, that deserves inclusion on this list, please make a suggestion and I will add them depending on how convincing you are or how much you pay me (I'm not above being bribed for a blog that hardly anyone reads).
So here we go, the most famous of the famous Chamorros:
That’s me! Come on, did you really think I wouldn’t include myself on this list? This is my blog, after all. I’m an environmentalist and blogger from the island of Saipan. I spend my days talking about fish, corals, and sharks in the hopes that people will take better care of our oceans.
This is your Chamorro mom's favorite singer. Anyone who introduces themselves as [Insert Name], International Superstar deserves to be on this list, am I right? Oh, and I really dig his Vegas leisure suit on Youtube.
Mata’pang (right) and Hurao (left) were two Chamorro chiefs from the 1600s who led an insurgency against the Spanish missionaries. They killed the first Christian missionaries on Guam, Spanish priest Diego Luis de San Vitores and Pedro Calungsod. The priests were made saints, and the two chiefs became local symbols of freedom and anti-colonization. Hurao is famous for giving a speech in 1671 denouncing the Spanish occupation. My mom was the first person to translate the speech from Spanish into English, so she's kind of famous, too.
Pia got herself noticed by singing songs on Youtube. Now she's an international superstar. She's closing in on a million followers on Twitter, where she posts deep thoughts that get more retweets and likes than my entire Twitter feed combined:
And that’s the list of famous Chamorros. Are there any glaring omissions?
Unless you are a regular reader of this blog, chances are you’ve never even heard of a Chamorro, never mind a famous Chamorro person. I am going to change that. Right here, right now on this very blog you are reading I am going to create the definitive list of famous Chamorro people. But this list is by no means complete. If there is a famous Chamorro person out there, living or dead, that deserves inclusion on this list, please make a suggestion and I will add them depending on how convincing you are or how much you pay me (I'm not above being bribed for a blog that hardly anyone reads).
So here we go, the most famous of the famous Chamorros:
Angelo Villagomez – Environmentalist, Blogger, and Male Model
That’s me! Come on, did you really think I wouldn’t include myself on this list? This is my blog, after all. I’m an environmentalist and blogger from the island of Saipan. I spend my days talking about fish, corals, and sharks in the hopes that people will take better care of our oceans.
Jimmy Dee – Entertainer
This is your Chamorro mom's favorite singer. Anyone who introduces themselves as [Insert Name], International Superstar deserves to be on this list, am I right? Oh, and I really dig his Vegas leisure suit on Youtube.
Mata’pang and Hurao – Warrior Chiefs
Mata’pang (right) and Hurao (left) were two Chamorro chiefs from the 1600s who led an insurgency against the Spanish missionaries. They killed the first Christian missionaries on Guam, Spanish priest Diego Luis de San Vitores and Pedro Calungsod. The priests were made saints, and the two chiefs became local symbols of freedom and anti-colonization. Hurao is famous for giving a speech in 1671 denouncing the Spanish occupation. My mom was the first person to translate the speech from Spanish into English, so she's kind of famous, too.
Frank "The Crank" Camacho – MMA Figher
Frank Camacho is an MMA figher born on Guam and raised on Saipan. He's been in a few UFC fights and is probably the most famous person from Saipan.
Pia Mia – Singer
Pia got herself noticed by singing songs on Youtube. Now she's an international superstar. She's closing in on a million followers on Twitter, where she posts deep thoughts that get more retweets and likes than my entire Twitter feed combined:
soulmates never die— PRINCESS PIA MIA (@PrincessPiaMia) January 22, 2018
And that’s the list of famous Chamorros. Are there any glaring omissions?