On Walkabout At: The San Antonio Bridge On Guam

Basic Information

• What: San Antonio Bridge
• Where: Hagatna, Guam
• Cost: Free
• More Information: GuamOnline.com

Narrative

The capital city of US territory of Guam, Hagatna has a variety of architecture that shows the island’s past Spanish past.  One of the most prominent pieces of Spanish architecture left in Hagatna is the San Antonio Bridge:

This stone bridge was built over the Hagatna River in 1800 by the Spanish Governor Manuel Muro.  The Governor named the bridge after San Antonio de Padua.  The bridge survived 150 years of history to include the Battle of Guam during World War II.  However, after the war the Hagatna River was diverted and the bridge became the center of Sirena Park.

The park is named after a local Chamorro legend about a girl named Sirena who lived along the Hagatna River who turned into a mermaid.

A statue of the mermaid can be seen just below the bridge:

On the far side of the bridge there is a nice statue to Don Pedro Pengelinan Martinez who was a prominent businessman on Guam who lived from 1892-1967:

Something I found of interest adjacent to the bridge is this beautiful tree:

I don’t know what kind of tree this is, but the blooming flowers on the tree are stunning:

Conclusion

Since visiting the bridge just like the other historic Spanish architecture in Hagatna is free, I highly recommend that visitors to Guam check it out.  All of the historic sites in Hagatna are within walking distance of each other.  It is probably best to spend the afternoon visiting the historic sites on a Wednesday and then cap the day off by visiting the night market held every Wednesday at Hagatna’s Chamorro village.