The Island of Guam (Ysla Degvajan) was a stopover for the yearly galleon trade between Mexico and the Philippines. These galleons transported not only items for merchants and other supplies to Guam, but also Filipino soldiers, missionaries, lay assistants, bureaucrats, and even political expatriates and criminals. They were manned by Filipino and Mexican seafarers with a few Spanish superiors.
The records of Filipinos in Guam during the Spanish occupation are said to be sporadic. When Spanish Jesuit Father Diego Luis de San Vitores landed in Guam around 1668, his lay assistant was said to be a Filipino Cebuano named Pedro Calungsod. Calungsod was killed alongside San Vitores when he was martyred. Both San Vitores and Calungsod have been “blessed” by the Catholic Church; this is the first phase toward canonization. Calungsod was canonized in 2012. Early documents indicate that a company of soldiers in Guam in 1690 were Filipino Kapampangans.