Guam sights
Plaza de España
The historic heart of Hagåtña, once the grounds of the Spanish governor's palace. The surviving Chocolate House pavilion, arched gateway, and garden walls recall Guam's three centuries under Spanish rule, set among the capital's monuments.
About
The Plaza de España is the historic core of Hagåtña, the open square that for over two centuries was the seat of Spanish colonial power on Guam — the grounds of the Governor's Palace, from which Spain administered the Mariana Islands until 1898. The palace itself was destroyed in the bombardments of World War II, but several evocative structures survive around the plaza: the Azotea (a raised terrace), the triple-arched Almacén gateway, fragments of garden wall, and most charmingly the Chocolate House (Kiosko), a small domed pavilion where the governor's wife is said to have served hot chocolate to guests. Today the plaza is a green public space dotted with these ruins and monuments, surrounded by the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica, the Guam Museum, and Latte Stone Park, making it the natural centre of a walking tour of historic Hagåtña and a window onto Guam's long Spanish chapter.
Good to know
Opening hours and entry fees vary by season — check before you visit.