The early history of the mariana islands is shrouded in the mists of antiquity but it is believed that the islands were first settled around 3,000 B.C. by an ancient seafaring people, prehistoric "Stone Age Vikings", who journeyed in outrigger canoes and eventually lost their navigational skills and were marooned.  It is believed that they sailed across the vast expanse of the open Pacific, north and eastward from southeast Asia, possibly from what is now known as Indonesia. The people, who became known as Chamorros, developed unique construction skills which permitted to carve huge, mushroom - like capped pillars of stone from solid rock known today as Latte or Taga Stones.  Their precise use remains one of the great mysteries of the Pacific to this day. The CNMI Guide would like to thank Mr. William H. Stewart for providing all the information used in these pages.