CHamoru ancestors in the Mariana Islands marked time using the phases of the moon and the important seasons in their lives. Months were named to describe seasonal weather and the best times to fish, plant, and harvest food. Just like their ancestors, the Barcinas girls – Lole’, Lia, Rita, Arisa, and Ha’åne’ – mark time using the seasons of their beautiful village of Malesso’ in southern Guam. 13 Months in Malesso' captures a distinctly CHamoru sense of time and place, and beautifully illustrates the many ways in which the island of Guam nourishes and sustains its people.

This report written by Governor Francisco Olive contains his insights about the social, political, and economic conditions of the Marianas. He focuses on the underdevelopment of the islands and draws the Spanish Government to look back at the colony’s history, specifically the second half of the 19th century. The report reflects the colonial mentality of Olive, who stresses the responsibility of the Spanish Government to the inhabitants of the Marianas, leaving unchallenged the right of Spain to maintain its sovereignty over the islands.