The Latte Stones of Mariana Islands

Throughout most of the Mariana Islands, a crescent-shaped archipelago in the western North Pacific Ocean near Japan, a peculiar kind of megalithic structure known as Latte Stones are found. Ranging between 4 to 7 feet in height, these erect stones are composed of a base column, called halagi , with a semi-circular bowl-like structure called tasa , at the top. Latte Stones were used as foundations over which the ancient Chamorro people built their homes. The houses were constructed out of wood and had a characteristic A-shaped thatched roof. These houses are generally thought to be for the high ranking or high caste families in the village, although some of the largest latte stones are found in Guam island’s interior where many of the low caste lived. Photo credit: Sandwich/Flickr The elevated floors, which were supported by the latte stones, apparently provided residents shelter from floods, while also keeping the buildings dry and cool by enabling air to circulate under the house. It is also provided a shaded workspace beneath. What’s unclear, however, is the strange shape of the latte stones. Archaeologists suggest the two-part latte stones —pillar and cap— may have acted as a shock absorber and protected the building during an earthquake. The cap extending up and outward from the pillar may have acted as a barrier for crabs and vermin trying to climb into the house for food or shelter. Building of latte stones might also have been influenced by social customs. This assumption can be drawn from the discovery of human burials either within or near sets of lattes located near shorelines. Such burials are but absent in latte stones found inland. The latte stones were believed to have been built between 800 AD to 1700 AD. By that time, Spanish colonization of the Mariana Islands had begun and many latte sites were destroyed by the invaders. Foreign diseases and warfare decimated Guam and the rest of the Marianas population.