Tumon

Tumon (Chamorro: Tomhom) is a district located along the northwest coast of the United States unincorporated territory of Guam. Located in the municipality of Tamuning, it is the center of Guam's tourist industry.

History

When the Spaniards first arrived in Guam in 1668, Tomhom was one of the most prominent villages. The first Roman Catholic missionaries to the island, the Jesuit Padre (Pålé), the Spanish priest Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores and his sacristan, the Visayan Saint Pedro Calungsod were killed in Tumon by the village chief Mata'pang after San Vitores had baptised the chief's daughter without permission. A park and statue mark the site of De San Vitores and Calungsod's martyrdom along the beach, while a nearby Catholic parish church dedicated to De San Vitores lies along Tumon's main road, which was also named in his honor.

A small tunnel through a large rock on the tourist beach overlooking the bay was part of the defensive positions prepared by the Japanese occupiers during World War II. The American forces landed in a different location during the 1944 Battle of Guam and the Tumon defenses were not tested.