Among the great number of islands which comprise the Archipelago of St. Lazarus, only fourteen are as yet well known, extending from the South of the North almost in a straight line. In order to know the size and location of these islands one should not refer to maps, for the names and exact locations have been learned only in the past few years. These islands, which have Japan to the North and New Guinea to the South, are enclosed within the Tropic of Cancer and the Equinoxial Line, at the extremity of the Pacific Ocean, nearly four hundred leagues from the Philippines. They take up approximately five hundred leagues of sea, from Guahan, which is the largest and southernmost of the islands, to Urac, which is the island nearest the Tropic.

Although these islands are within the Torrid Zone, the sky is always beautiful and serene. There one can breath pure air, and the heat is never excessive. The mountains covered with trees that are almost always green, and crossed by a large number of streams which flow into the valleys and plains, make this land very pleasant.

Before the Spaniards appeared in these islands, the inhabitants lived in complete freedom. They had no laws except those that each individual imposed upon himself. Separated from all nations by the vast seas that surround them, and enclosed in their islands, as in a small world, they completely ignored the fact that there were other lands, and they considered themselves to the only men in the universe.

They lack most of the things we believe necessary for life. They had no animals and could form no idea of them if they didn't have some birds. Of birds there was only one species, somewhat similar to the turtle-dove. They did not eat these birds, but tamed them and taught them to talk. What is more astonishing and hard to believe is that they had never seen fire. This necessary element was entirely unknown to them. They knew neither its use nor properties and they were never more surprised than when they saw fire for the first time when Magellan landed and set fire to some fifty houses in reprisal against the islanders for trouble they had caused him. In the beginning they regarded fire as some species of animal which attached itself to wood in order to nourish itself. The first ones to approach it too closely were burned and this caused fear in the others and they dared not look at it except from afar off, for fear, they said, of being bitten and lest this terrible animal hurt them with its violent breath, for such was the idea they formed of flame and heat. This foolish fear did not last long. They soon learned their error and became accustomed to look at fire and use it as we do.

One does not know when these islands were inhabited, nor from what country the people drew their origin. Since they have more or less the same inclinations as the Japanese, and the same ideas of Nobility which is proud and haughty as in Japan, some believe that these islanders came from Japan which is only six or seven days distant. Others are convinced that they set out from the Philippines and neighboring islands, because their color, language, customs, and their manner of government are similar to those of the Tagalogs, who were the inhabitants of the Philippines before the Spanish became their masters. It seems that they have their origin from both, and that these islands were populated by shipwrecked Japanese and Tagalogs who were tossed ashore by storms.

However this may be, it is certain that these islands are well populated. There are more than thirty thousand on the island of Guahan which is forty leagues in circumference. There are fewer on Saypan, and, proportionately so, on the other islands. These islands are full of villages spread throughout the plains and hills, some of which are made up of a hundred or a hundred and fifty houses.

These islanders are tawny, but their color is of a lighter brown than that of the inhabitants of the Philippines. They are stronger and more robust than Europeans. They are tall of stature and their bodies are well proportioned. Although they nourish themselves with roots, fruits and fish, they are so obese that they seem to be puffed up. But this obesity does not prevent them from being supple and agile. It is not an extraordinary thing for these people to live to be a hundred years of age. During the first year that the Gospel was preached to them, more than 120 of this age group were baptized, yet they were so strong and healthy that they seemed to be fifty.

Several causes contribute to such long life. The upbringing given them in childhood which hardens them to the changes of the seasons; their frugal nourishment, which is always the same and contains nothing that irritates the appetite and is not inductive to excess; the moderate exercise they get while fishing and cultivating their plants and trees; and above all, the free and simple life they lead without worry, without dependence, without chagrin, and without inquietude gives the health that is unknown in Europe. Most of them live to an old age without sickness. It is rare to find a sick person among them, and when one is found, he is cured easily with herbs of which they know the power.

The men are entirely nude, but the women not quite. Concerning beauty, their feeling is completely different from the women of Europe. They make their beauty consist of black teeth and white hair. Thus one of their great occupations is to blacken their teeth with certain herbs, and to bleach their hair by repeatedly washing it with water specifically prepared for this purpose. They wear their hair very long, while the men shave their heads almost completely, leaving on the top of their heads only a tuft about the length of a finger, after the manner of the Japanese.

The language of the people is very similar to the Tagalog language which is spoken in the Philippines and neighboring islands. It is quite pleasant. The pronunciation is sweet and easy. One of the charms of the language is the transposing of words, and even to syllables in the same word, which is often the cause of equivocations which the people love a great deal.

Although they have no knowledge of sciences and fine arts, they do have some stories filled with fables and some poems. A poet is considered a marvelous person and is respected by the whole nation.

Never was a people more ridiculously presumptuous nor more foolishly vain. Plunged in the deepest ignorance and deprived of all the comforts of life, they consider themselves the wisest, politest, most spiritual nation in the world. They pity all other peoples and speak of them with contempt.

There are three classes among the islanders: the Nobility, the people, and the middle class. The Nobility are unbelievably haughty and hold the people in abasement that one cannot imagine in Europe. It goes so far that the worst infamy and crime is for a Noble to be matched with a daughter of the people. When this happens a family has lost its reputation. Here is how such a person was treated before they became Christians. When passion or interest so blinds a Noble to commit an act so unworthy of his birth, all the relatives assemble and with common consent wash away the stain of such a disgraceful and infamous act in the blood of the guilty one. The Nobility is jealous to preserve its rank and to transmit pure blood to posterity.

Not only in meeting with the people do the Nobles show their contempt, but also at a distance. It is a crime for the people to approach the house of a person of the Nobility. If a Chamorro (such is the name given to the chiefs of the nation) wants something from a common man, he must ask for it from a distance. A Noble would consider his house dishonored if a person from the people should eat or drink there. The Nobles have feudal tenants who are heirs of their families. The fathers are not succeeded by their children, but by brothers and nephews - who then take the name of the diseased, or the name of the head of the family. This custom is well established among them, and although it seems strange to use, it does not cause any trouble or quarrel.

The most esteemed persons of the Nobility in these islands, are from the City of Agana, capital of the island of Guahan. They are numerous, for the location is advantageous and the waters are excellent, and highly respected families came to settle there. There are more than fifty there who are highly honored and respected throughout the island.

The chiefs of the Nobility preside at the assemblies. They are respected and listened to, but only when their sentiments are considered right, do the others give in to them. One is free to take sides whenever he pleases, for those people are not subjected to any chief or governed by any law. However, they do have some customs which they observe so religiously that they seem to be laws.

Although these people are barbarous and crude, they do have some form of etiquette among the Chamorros. When they meet or when they pass one another's home, they greet each other politely with these words: Ati Arinmo. Allow me to kiss your feet. When a Noble passes in front of their home, they invite him to eat and present him with a herb which they always chew and which takes the place of tobacco. When they favor someone or wish to pay him honor, they draw their hand across stomach. This is one of their most extraordinary gestures of courtesy.

It is considered an incivility among them to spit in the presence of a person to whom respect is due. Their delicacy in this matter almost reaches superstition. They spit rarely and then only with great precautions. They never spit in the morning, unless it is well advanced, for some unexplainable reason.

Their ordinary occupation is fishing. They practice it from childhood and are often in the water. They swim like fish. The canoes which they use for fishing and for going from one island to another, are surprisingly light, and the trimness of these boats is unknown in Europe. They caulk them with pitch and lime softened in coconut oil. This pitch, which they apply deftly, is found on the island of Guahan.

Their homes are rather pleasant. They are built of coconut wood and wood of Maria, a tree peculiar to this island. Each house is composed of four rooms which are separated by curtains made from palm leaves and woven together. The roofs of their homes are made of the same material. Each room has its proper use. The first is the bedroom. The second is the dining room. The third serves as a pantry for fruits and other provisions and the fourth is the workroom.

No people have ever lived in greater freedom and absolute independence. Everyone is master of his own actions. Children know they must respect and obey their parents. They are never recognized except when in need. Everyone settles his disputes individually. If differences continue among various groups, they are settled by war.

They are easily angered and quickly have recourse to arms, but they drop them just as readily as they pick them up, and their wars do not last long. When they set out to battle, they shout loudly in the manner of Barbarians in order to encourage themselves rather than to frighten the enemy. They are not naturally brave. They march without leader, without discipline and without order. Since they do not carry provisions, they travel two or three days without eating, watching the movements of their enemies whom they try to lead into a trap, for that is their greatest talent, and no nation is equal to them in this art. They seem to set out only to ensnare each other. They rarely come to hand-to-hand fighting, and when they do, it is only because they cannot avoid it. They are afraid of being hurt and fear to shed blood in battle. When two or three men are killed or seriously wounded on one side, the victory is established. The sight of blood causes them to flee and disperse in a moment.

The vanquished quickly send ambassadors and presents to the victors, who receive them with great pleasure at seeing their enemy groveling at their feet. Since these people are naturally vain and proud, the victors treat the vanquished in an insolent manner. They insult them and mock them with satirical songs which they compose and recite on their feast days.

The cost of their arms is little. They do not have bows, arrows or swords. But they use clubs (sticks) made in the form of lances which are not armed with iron, for they have none, but with human leg bones, thigh bones and arm bones. They shape these bones into points, but they are so poisonous in themselves that the least flint from them that remains in a body unfailingly causes death with convulsions, trembling throughout the body, gnashing of teeth, and inconceivable pain, for which there is no remedy. The Barbarians have a great number of these darts. Stones are of even greater help to them. They throw them so hard and so straight that they sometimes stick in the tree trunks. They have no defensive arms and they ward off blows only by the agility and suppleness of their bodies.

If they are not warriors, it is necessary to assert that there is no nation more able at dissembling and hiding their feelings. The Spaniards were duped by them before they knew them well. These islanders used such duplicity with uprightness and good faith that charmed their new hosts, especially the missionaries, who praised them highly in the letters they wrote to Europe. But they soon realized that this uprightness and apparent sincerity were only deceit and they were dealing with a sly and crafty nation against which they must always be on guard if they did not want to be deceived.

Revenge is one of the favorite passions of these people. When they are offended they do not show their resentment by noise or words. Nothing appears on the surface: they keep all their bitterness and hatred in their hearts. They are such masters of their anger that they can let two or three years go by without letting any sign of it escape until they have found a favorable occasion to seek satisfaction. Then they avenge themselves for the violence done them, and give themselves up to the darkest betrayal and most excessive and hideous revenge.

Their inconstancy and levity are unbelievable. They give in blindly to their passions and caprices. They go from one extreme to the other. What they want with ardor one moment, they do not want a moment later. To the Spaniards this inconstancy was one of the great obstacles in the conversion of these Barbarians. They love joy and pleasure. They joke with one another agreeably, and go through a thousand buffooneries to amuse themselves. If they are sober, it is because of necessity rather than inclination. They often gather together and exchange gifts of fish, fruit and a certain liquor made of rice and grated coconut. They enjoy dancing, running, jumping, and wrestling in order to prove their strength as well as for the exercise. They also enjoy telling stories about the adventures of their ancestors and reciting verses from their poets, which are full of fables and exaggerations.

The women also have their feasts and games of amusement. They come to them well dressed. The dresses consist of shells and tortoise-shells which they allow to hang on their foreheads - after the fashion of earrings. They intertwine them with flowers which causes these bizarre ornaments to stand out. They also have cinctures of small shells which they esteem more than we value very precious pearls in Europe. They attach small carved coconuts to their cinctures. To all this they add plaited fibers made from the roots of trees. This seems to disfigure them, for these fibers thick and poorly woven resemble cages rather than dresses.

In their gatherings twelve or thirteen women stand upright in a circle without stirring. In this position they sing the fabulous verses of their poets with an accord and exactness that would please in Europe. The accord of their voices is admirable and does not yield in any manner to the best conducted music. They have in their hands small shells which they use in place of castanets. But what is more surprising is that they support their voices and animate their songs with such lively action and expressive gestures that they charm all those who see and hear them.

The men can take as many wives as they please as long as they are not relatives. But the custom is to have only one wife. To the wives are given all the rights attributed to husbands elsewhere. The woman has absolute command in the home. She is the mistress, she has all the authority, and the husband cannot dispose of anything without her consent.

If the husband does not show the deference she thinks he should, if his conduct is not regular, or if he is of bad humor, his wife maltreats him or leaves him, going back to her first freedom. For marriage among these islanders is not indissoluble and lasts only as long as both parties are satisfied with one another. As soon as they are not content with one another, they separate, but no matter from which side the separation is made, the woman does not lose any of the goods, her children stay with her and consider her new spouse as their father. Thus a poor husband may unexpectedly see himself deprived of his wife and children because of the bad humor and the whimsies of a capricious woman.

This is not the only burden husbands have to endure. If the conduct of a wife is irregular, and her husband has reason to complain, he can get revenge on the lover and even kill him, but he is not allowed to maltreat his wife, and the most he can do is leave her. It is not so with the infidelity of the husband, for the women themselves do justice, by punishing them in such a manner that they return to their duty.

When a woman is convinced that her spouse has other attachments with which she is not pleased, she informs all the other women of the village, who gather together. They carry lances in their hands and their husband's hats on their head. In this warlike dress, they advance in a battle line towards the husband's house. They begin to lay waste his lands, trampling on and plucking out his trees and fruits, causing frightening havoc. All together they knock down the house, and if the unfortunate husband has not take the precaution to flee and hide, they attack him and pursue him until they have chased him away.

They have another method of avenging themselves. They abandon their home and inform their parents they can no longer live with their spouse. The parents, happy to have the occasion to enrich themselves under the pretext of avenging their relative, immediately go to the husband's house, plunder and ransack it, carrying away everything they lay their hands on, without leaving anything behind. The husband is happy if they do not knock down his house, which they sometimes do.

This dominion of women over men is the reason why a great number of young men do not marry. They hire girls, or buy them from their parents for some bits of iron or tortoise shells. They place them in public houses and live with them in disorder which displeases those of the nation who are well regulated in their lives.

These islanders have horror of homicide and theft. Thus one does them an injustice in calling their land Las islas de los ladrones. Far from being robbers, they trust one another, and never close their homes. They leave them open always, without anyone robbing his neighbor.

They are naturally liberal and love to please. The Spaniards learned this in 1638 in the famous wreck of the ship Conception. The people favorably received those who were able to save themselves, and tried to lighten their misfortunes with all kinds of good treatment.

Before these islanders had seen the Europeans, they thought theirs was the only nation in the world. After they had some relations with the Spaniards, and had seen English and Dutch ships pass by their islands, they corrected their gross error. But since they really love fables, their poets created fiction which they regarded as truth concerning this subject. They flattered their pride, which is one of their dominant passions.

They said that all nations had their origin from the soil of the island of Guahan; that the first man was formed from it; that later he was changed into stone and that from this stone all other men came forth; they then went to settle in different countries, some in Spain, some in Holland, and others elsewhere; that these men, banished and far away from their country, soon forgot their language and their compatriot's manner of living. Thus, they said, the other peoples do not know how to talk, and they do not understand us. If they coarsely articulate some words, they do so like fools, without understanding one another, and without knowing what they are saying. Such is the vanity and presumption of these islanders. They are persuaded that there is no other language except that spoken among them.

These people do not acknowledge any divinity, and before the Gospel was preached to them, they did not have the slightest idea of religion. They were without temples, without alters, without sacrifice, without priests. Among them were some charlatans who pretended to make prophecies. These professional cheaters, to whom was give the name of Macanas, were believed by the people. They duped the people into believing, that through the invocation of the Anitis, i.e. their deceased, whose skulls they kept in their homes, they had the power to command the elements, restore health to the sick, to change the seasons and give them an abundant harvest and a plentiful catch of fish. These Macanas who profited from the ignorance of the people, and lived at their expense, rendered no honor to the heads of the dead. They were content to enclose them in small baskets, leaving them around the house without paying the slightest attention to them, unless some dupes came to consult them.

Although these people do not adore any divinity, they do not have superstitions regarding the dead. When someone dies, they place a basket near his head to gather in his spirit, and beg him to place his spirit in it when he leaves his body, so that henceforth he may make it his home, or at least to rest there when he takes the trouble to come and see them. Others, in order to please their dead, rub them with odiferous oil and parade them to their relative's homes, so they may choose a dwelling place, or a place to repose when they come from the other world to visit their friends. They are convinced of the immortality of the soul. They also recognize the existence of Heaven and Hell, concerning which they have strange ideas.

They call Hell Zararraguan or the home of Chayfi. This is the name they give the devil who cruelly torments those who have the misfortune to fall into his power. After they learned about fire from the Spaniards, they said that Chayfi has a burning furnace where he burns souls as we temper iron, or where he continually strikes them. Their Paradise is a place of delight. They oddly place it under the earth. Since their ideas are very limited, they believe its beauty consists of coconut trees, sugarcane and other fruits, which, they say, will have a marvelous taste.

According to them, it is not virtue or crime that leads to heaven. Good or bad actions serve no purpose. All depends on the manner in which one leaves this world. If one has the misfortune to die a violent death, hell is his lot, and he is enclosed in Zazarraguan. On the other hand, if one dies a natural death, he has the pleasure of going to Paradise to enjoy the tree and fruits that are there in abundance.

These people are convinced that the spirits return after death, either because the Devil deceives them by taking on the form of their defunct relatives, or because their heated imagination represents to them what they intend to tell others. It is certain that they complain of being maltreated by specters, who at times frighten them terribly. When they have recourse to their Anities, i.e. the souls of their dead, it is not to obtain some favor, but rather to have them impede some evil. For the same reason they observe deep silence and make long fasts for fear that the Anitis might maltreat them or frighten them at night in their dreams in which they have great faith.

There are not people more eloquent in showing their sorrow, nor more expressive in their air and manner. Nothing is sadder than their burials. They shed torrents of tears. They let out cries capable of causing sorrow in the hard of heart. They go a long time without eating and so weaken themselves that they become unrecognizable. Their mourning lasts seven or eight days and sometimes longer. They proportion it to the affection they had for the defunct person, or to the favors they have received from him. All this time is spend in weeping and singing mournful songs. They hold some meals near the tomb of the deceased, for they always raise a tomb to the dead on or near the place he is buried. It is crowned with flowers, palm branches, shells and their most precious possessions. The desolation of mothers, when they have lost their children, is inconceivable. Since they want to keep up their sorrow, they cut some hair from their children and hold it dearly. Around their necks they wear a cord in which they tie knots numbering the nights that their child has been dead.

If the person who dies is from among the Chamorros, or if she is a woman of quality, then there is no limit to their sorrow. They entertain a kind of fury and despair. They root out their trees, burn their homes, smash their boats, tear their sails and attach bits of them to their houses. They strew palm branches on the roads and raise mourning arches in honor of the deceased. If the dead person is outstanding for his fishing ability or for arms, which are the two professions of distinction among them, they crown his tomb with boughs or lances, to signify his courage or ability in fishing. If he is illustrious because of both professions, they blend the lances and boughs and make of them a sort of trophy.

All this is accompanied by lively lamentations and touching sentiments inspired by sorrow and expressed in a very spiritual manner. "There is no longer any life for me", says one, "there is nothing left for me but tediousness and bitterness. The sun which animated me is eclipsed. The moon which shone on me is obscured. The star which led me has disappeared. I am going to be sunk into the profound night and abyss in a sea of tears and bitterness." As soon as one stops, another cries out: "Alas! I have lost all. I shall never see again the one who was the happiness of my days and the joy of my heart. For the valor of our warriors, the honor of our race, the glory of our nation, the hero of our country is no more! He has left us! What is going to become of us, and how can we live henceforth." These lamentations last all day and continue well into the night, each one forcing himself to signalize his sorrow by the vivacity of his expressions and by the praise he attributes to the dead.

Such is the dense darkness in which this nation was enslaved for many centuries, and still would be, if God, Who chooses the proper time to enlighten every man that comes into the world, had not dispelled this darkness by His Goodness and Mercy, and if He had not sent Father De Sanvitores and his companions to make known the Kingdom of God and the way that leads there, Who is Jesus Christ Savior of all men.