Artà travel guide

Aside from the current area of Ártà, the Yartan distric also included the current municipality of Capdepera. With the Muslim occupation, hydraulic engineering was utilized in form of the qanats, underground tunnels for transporting water from its spring to wells. Some of the best examples of qanats is the one of Font de la Vila found about one hundred meters south of the town itself by the Torrent des Revolts. With the installation of the water transportation systems, the Moorish communities were able to irrigate the soil in an efficient way cultivating vegetables, rice, cotton, linen, sugarcane etc. Raising livestock was another important activity during the Islamic period, especially horses, mules and sheep.

The Muslims built a citadel around their farm called Almudaina meaning “fortress” or “castle“, that belonged to the Berber tribe of Ayt Iraten, a tribe that still exists today in the mountains of Kabylie, Algeria. The Almudaina was one of only six villages present prior to the Catalan conquest of the island, it had streets, houses, orchards, as well as a mosque. Beside from the Ayt Iraten tribe, the Juz d’Yartan was also occupied by another large tribe, the Bani-Agger, that resided in the farms of Baninatgar, Beniaxir and Benicatzar.

In September 1229, King Jaume I of Aragón arrived with 150 ships carrying 700 horsemen and 20,000 infantry, at the shores of Santa Ponca. On December 31 the same year, Madina Mayrqua (Palma) had already been conquered and the valí (Arab governor) defeated. Those Muslims not killed or taken as slaves in the capital fled to the Tramuntana and Llevant mountains to seek refuge, while others tried to flee to Menorca.

After carefully analyzing and considering his options, Jaume set off for the Llevant mountains as the Tramuntana would be too much of a challenge for his army at the time just after the conquest of the city. He knew that about 16,000 Saracens had fled to to Tramuntana. Once the king and his soldiers arrived in the area, they deployed and camped by the coast at the feet of the mountains next to a river. This is written in the Llibre del Fets (Book of Acts), a comprehensive documentation of the entire conquest step by step. It is very likely that the battle in Llevant between Christians and Muslims happened in the area of Farrutx, based on this documentation and description of the book. On March 4, the Saracens finally surrendered after fighting from their temporary hideout in the cliffs and caves of the mountains. More than 2,000 Saracens had been defeated by the Almogavars in the Llevant mountains north of Ártà. With the victory, the Christians acquired more than 10,000 cows and 30,000 sheep found on the mountain slopes.

After the Christian conquest, the order of Bellpuig de les Avellanes arrived in the area, led by abbot Bernat de Narbona (Narbonne), whom came from a family of viscounts that had participated in the conquest of Mallorca and Valencia. Religious leaders were requested by the newly established bishopric of Mallorca. A delegation of Bellpuigs set off for the island and settled a few kilometers south of the current town, where they built the monastery of Santa Maria de Bellpuig d’Ártà. The order of Bellpuig de les Avellanes, partly mixed by the Premonstratensians, brought with them a wooden Romanesque statue of the Virgin Mary for veneration, which is now preserved in the pilgrimage church of Sant Salvador.

In 1302, King Jaume II of Mallorca acquired the lands of sa Devesa de Ferrutx (south of Colonia de Sant Pere), an area comprising about 3,000 ha. He sold parts of the land to private owners and planted pastures for wild boars, deer, rabbits and other game. In 1350, most of the lands was sold to the Son Morell family.

The walled enclosure known as “Almudaina”, was renamed to “Almudaina d’Ártà“, a name it would preserve until the 17th century, and started to expand with new streets and squares that unfolded at the feet of the Sant Salvador hill. Also in the beginning of the 1300’s, Jaume II of Mallorca enacted a set of ordinates that would grant urban centers of more than 100 habitations the privileges as towns allowing trade and councils.

During the 14th century, after some years of societal growth and prosperity, the Balearic economy started to experience some dark years characterized by bad harvests, epidemics and pestilences which led to decline in cereal production. Especially the Black Plague of 1348, reduced the population outside the Ciutat de Mallorca (Palma) by more than 20%. The economy of the areas outside the Ciutat de Mallorca was mainly based on the cultivation of dry land cereals that were intended for domestic consumption, and with the decline in production there was no other sources of income. Hunger and malnutrition was part of the subsistence crises that eventually led to the first real social conflicts of the island; Revolta Forana and Les Germanies.

After years of economic instability with no production and expensive import of wheat and cereals, Mallorca was facing a higher fiscal pressure which particularly was hard on the peasants of the countryside including Ártà. To make matters worse, there was also a great deal of corruption among the noble classes putting the peasants and day laborers out of influence. In 1450, the king ordered a so-called “capbreu” was to be written, a document stating who owned what in terms of estates on the island, to define how taxes was to be set. The nobles, who were the ones writing this capbreu, gave themselves all the privileges and documented the estates and lands to themselves, while the peasants could not find their documentation. All this together, unleashed the first civil war of Mallorca, Revolta Forana, the revolt of the foreigners, a war that lasted for two years until the king sent mercenaries to the island to put an end to the rebellions. Post the events of the Revolta Forana, towns like Ártà was fined with extra taxes to pay for the damages caused.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the coastal populations of the Balearic Island continuously suffered severe attacks from Berber, Turkish, Algerian and Tunisian pirates. The pirates sacked, plundered, killed and kidnapped the inhabitants during their merciless raids, moreover, they interrupted the maritime and commercial activities. The neighboring island of Menorca was particularly exposed, and in 1558, Ciutadella was completely devastated and more than 3,000 people were captured, many of them never returned. As a consequence of these raids, the islands experienced both economic and demographic stagnation.

To secure the town better, the walled enclosure was rebuilt and enhanced with watchtowers. The king also allowed local corsairs in the Balearic Sea as a counter attack of the pirates. This was a cost efficient way of gaining both protection and treasury. Another reminiscence of the pirate raids, is the watchtower of Moreia overlooking the bay from its position at the summit of the Moreia mountain built in 1557.

In the modern age, agricultural activities such as livestock and cereal production was some of the predominant activities in the area. However, it is also important to mention the textile industry, which is still an active industry in this area. In the second half of the 18th century, there were unions of weavers who sold their products to almost all areas of Mallorca. In a report from 1784, it is stated that Ártà alone had 60 weavers and 87 looms with a production of 102 kg of linen and hemp.

Despite of pirate raids, social conflicts etc., the population in Ártà increased considerably during the 16th and 18th centuries. Ártà was the most populous town in the Llevant peninsula with more than 50% of the total population. During the second half of the 16th century, the town saw a need to build a new church for the growing congregation, new farms and plots etc., and in the 17th century the Franciscan church and monastery was erected.

Following the Constitution of Cadíz in 1812, the towns of Capdepera and Son Servera segregated from Ártà. This constellation, however, did not last long as in 1814 the return of absolutism was reenacted in Spain. During the Liberal Triennium of 1820-1823, when the constitutional code again came into force, Capdepera and Son Servera again enjoyed their own town hall, initially with the same territorial division that had been established in 1813. However, the situation became very complex since Son Servera asked for a territorial extension, and, at the same time, Capdepera proposed a new division that was unacceptable by the City Council of Artà. All this happened in a time of enormous economical difficulties caused by the terrible epidemic of bubonic plague in 1820.

As the political system underwent several phases in the 19th century, there was a lot of going back and forth with different reforms and constellations. The drought in the 1840’s resulted in an appeal from Capdepera for a re-incorporation to the municipality of Ártà. In 1858, the final segregation was completed.

Agricultural activities remained the predominant source of income in Ártà throughout the 19th century and well into the 20th century. Livestock, olive production, cereals and legumes occupied most of the irrigated soil. At the same time, emigration and famine were considerable threats to the communities and so to try and alleviate this, the government came up with an idea of creating agricultural colonies on the island. Under the Law of Population, in 1880, the three brothers, Bartomeu, Mateu and Andreu Homar bought the lands of sa Devesa de Ferrutx, Betlem de Marina, s’Alqueria Vella, es Barracar and es Caló, comprising lands of approximately 2,550 hectares. This was the foundation of Colònia de Santa Pere. The law allowed the brothers to convert unspoiled soil to groves and plantations without costs, and, granting them considerable tax exemptions. In total, nine colonies were founded in Mallorca in the period between 1874 and 1891, however, only four of them are left; Colònia de Sant Pere, Colònia de Sant Jordí, Portocolom and Porto Cristo. With the rumors of the new colony unfolding rapidly soon spread throughout the island, and people came from many areas to settle here in hope of becoming successful colonists. Documentation shows that it was not just from Ártà people came, but also from the areas of Felanitx, Llubí, Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, Capdepera, Manacor, Lloseta and Santanyí.

Although being predominant, the agricultural activities were not the only sources of income in Ártà during the 19th and 20th centuries. Textiles and basketwork was also a considerable source of income in the area.

In the last part of the 19th century, a great deal of the major landowners of Ártà emigrated to South America, as was the case of many landowners of the island. One of the main reasons for the massive emigration, was the devastating phylloxera, (wine lice). Thousands of hectares of vineyards was burned to the ground with no forecast of regaining stocks. Years later, many of these families returned to the area to settle again, only this time as businessmen not landowners. Some of the most notable families include the Blanes, the Ferrers and the Alzinas, whose manors can be found in the streets of Ártà.

To know more about the history of Ártà, visit the regional museum found in Plaça d’Espanya next to the Town Hall, where you will also find extensive collections of artifact, coins and more excavated and recovered from the area.