Capdepera, Mallorca, Things to do and see, hotels, market

The most remarkable exhibit from this period, is the 4,800 m² walled enclosure of s’Heretat with its central construction known as Claper des Gegants (Giants’ Mound). Actually, there has been found and excavated more than 41 archaeological sites within the municipal border of Capdepera which testifies an active area. However, there is also the sites of Sos Sastres, Son Barbassa and Puig de s’Hort.

The first Roman conquest

123 BC, Roman general and consul, Quint Cecili Metel, conquered Mallorca from the Phoenicians. The Roman army had been fighting the Phoenicians in the Punic Wars for several centuries and had not yet succeeded in gaining full control of the Balearic archipelago. One of the main reasons for conquering the islands, was to gain control of the Mediterranean sea and the naval routes allowing for more trade and safe travel between Italy and the Iberian peninsula, which was a difficult trip by foot over the Pyrenees.

It was difficult for the Romans to land on the island, as the Mallorcan Slingers (warriors with slings) had proven themselves lethal and able to sink vessels from the shoreline. Moreover, the Mallorcan people had allied themselves with pirates guarding the shores making it even more difficult to get close to the coasts. Eventually, Metel came up with the idea of strapping leather around the ships as a kind or armor plating giving the vessels the ability to reject the projectiles of the slings. After landing on the shores, the Roman soldiers begun a long and arduous game of hide and seek to locate the tribes that had retrenched themselves in the Talayotic villages among other places.

The second Roman conquest

The fall of the Roman empire in the 5th century had meant the fall of Mallorca as Roman territory. However, from Constantinople in the Baix Imperi, Emperor Justinian I made an attempt to reconquer parts of the lost western empire, including the Balearic archipelago. In 534, General Apolinar officially recaptured Menorca and the eastern areas of Mallorca. Justinian made Mallorca a province of Mauritània Tingitana (current Morocco) with capital in Ceptem (current Ceuta). This period is referred to as the “Byzantine”, a period that also brought the introduction of Christianity to the Balearic Islands according to the law of Theodosius I.

Islamic period

When, in 902-3, Issam al-Khawlaní annexed Mallorca into the Emirate of Cordoba, the island was divided in 13 districts, the area of current Capdepera, along with Ártà and Son Servera, comprised the district of “Yartan“. The new Moorish settlers lived in small communities, or in their clans, in so-called “alquerias” (farmsteads) and “rafals” (huts), scattered all over the area. The largest Moorish settlement in this area, was the one of Almudaina, current day Ártà, which was one of only six villages outside the capital of Madina Mayurqua (Palma).

The Christian reconquest

In September 1229, Jaume I of Aragón landed with his 150 ships and 27,000 men at the shores of Santa Ponca, Tramuntana. By the end of the same year, the Moorish governor had been defeated and Madina Mayurqua was renamed to “Ciutat de Mallorca”. After a month of restitution, a campaign to take the Llevant mountains was initiated. More than 20,000 Muslims had fled from the brutal battles in the capital, many of them to the mountains of Llevant and Tramuntana. In March 1230, Catalan Almogavars had defeated all Muslim resistance in the Yartan district.

The first written documentation from the Catalan conquerors of this area, was in the Llibre del Fets (Book of Acts), a report from the conquest campaign and the time following. In the Llibre del Fets, the area is mentioned as “Cap de la Pera” in context of the peace treaty signed by the king and walí (governor), Abū ‘Abd Allāh Muḥammad, and bailiff, Abū ‘Uṯmān Sa‘īd ibn Ḥakam, of Menorca, in 1232. This treaty allowed Menorca to remain under Muslim dominance, but tributary to the kingdom of Mallorca. The treaty is preserved in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris. As written in the Book of Acts, King Jaume had bonfires lit all over on the hilly headland making it look like an entire army was preparing for battle and conquest of Menorca. The Muslim messengers from Menorca sailed to Capdepera and was told that the king was ready to engage any time. The Muslims of Menorca knew they would not be able to win a battle, and therefore agreed to meet with the king who then saved a great deal of expenses and men.

In 1232, the king distributed the lands of Mallorca among knights, counts and bishops, all some who had supported him or participated in the campaign. It was all written in the Llibre de Repatiment de Mallorca (Book of Division of Mallorca), stating that the lands of Cap de Pera was given to the families of Nunís and Montsó. Nunis was given the lands of current day Capdepera and Montsó the lands of current day Canyamel.

The foundation of Capdepera

In 1276, King Jaume I died leaving the kingdom of Mallorca to his son, Jaume II of Mallorca. At this time, a number of houses had already been built and inhabited on and close to the hill of Capdepera. In the year 1300, he promulgated a set of ordinances constituting twelve fortified villages on the island, so-called “bastides” following French contemporary style, whereof Capdepera would become one of these. With the foundation of the fortified village, the Lleuda law was too executed, meaning the village would have the rights to trade at a local market and import products at a fixed tax rate.

The construction of the fortified village began soon after, and in 1323, the first primitive church of Mare de Déu de la l’Esperança (Our Lady of Hope) was inaugurated at the highest point. The fortified village was constructed around the Torre de Miquel Nunis, a rectangular shaped tower remaining from Muslim times, which had the mill tower of Cofeta added. The walls was constructed in a triangular shape following the philosophy of honoring the Holy Trinity. The four watchtowers of sa Boira, ses Dames, d’en Banya and dels Costerans were set up in the eastern and southern corners to guard the most vulnerable sides.

The walled enclosure was finished in the late 14th century (1386), including the Ronda road on the exterior side of the walls where soldiers would guard the castle. The main entrance portals are were those of Portalet and Portal del Rei Jaume, the latter from the early 18th century, both featuring machicolations, garret and guardroom.

Initially, the “Gabellins” (people of Capdepera) were hesitant in moving into the walled enclosure, but an agreement was made that they could keep living outside the walls, but had to sleep inside.

The congregation grew, and in 1352, Pere III of Catalonia-Aragón actually granted the village permission to segregate from Ártà, however this did not happen until the 19th century due to a range of internal conflicts.

The name came from the Latin “Caput Petrae”, which in medieval Catalan was interpreted as “Cap de Pera” and translated to Spanish, “Cabo de la Piedra”. In English, the name is translated to “Headland of Stone”.

At the same time, in the valley of Canyamel, a tower was set up to provide shelter for those who lived in this area during times of raids.

Threats from the sea

The village started to unfold on the slopes outside the fortified walls. During the 16th century, especially coastal areas of Mallorca was facing new threats. The Ottoman empire was on a campaign to expand, and the Balearic archipelago was a strategic goal to gain dominance in the Mediterranean. The Ottomans had allied paid Algerian, Tunisian and Berber privateers, and in 1558 Ciutadella, Menorca, was ruthlessly attacked and suffered losses of almost 3,000 people. This event was a clear warning to the Gabellins that the enemy was not just close, but dangerous as well, and that precautions had to be taken.

The walled enclosure of the castle was significantly enhanced to provide an extra layer of security for the inhabitants of the village. The people lived scattered in the area and needed a safe place to take shelter during attacks. Moreover, several watchtowers was erected in the hilly landscape of the headland such as the Torre de Son Jaumell in 1566 and the Torre de Esbuceda in 1700. The towers were not equipped with a battery, but solely used for observing and alarming. Additionally, the Torre Cega was created in what we know as Cala Ratjada day, at the spot where the Can March palace is found. Torre Cega got its name from its stealth position behind the pine trees, “Cega” means “blind“. Using fresh wood, the guards would light a bonfire and send smoke signals notifying the neighboring towers and so on until the signal reached Capdepera and the bells could alarm the people to arm or seek protection.

In 1715, a delegation of dragoons was appointed by the governor to stay in the castle to protect Capdepera. For this purpose the Governor’s House was built inside the walled enclosure.

The disappearance of external threats

From the beginning of the 1800’s, when the French captured Algiers, most of the threats from North African privateers disappeared. The village outside the walled enclosure started to develop even further and the castle became obsolete. In 1854, the last delegation of dragoons left the castle for good and only about 10 families lived inside, while at the same time, more than 200 houses had been built outside the castle.

Between 1830 and 40, the new parish church of Sant Bartolomeu was erected as the village and congregation had grown at this point.

Cala Ratjada and the new economy

Capdepera expanded throughout the 19th century, and in 1858 it became an independent municipality segregating itself from Ártà and Son Servera. The fishing village of Cala Ratjada grew significantly in population and importance during the 19th century, a monument is the beautiful lighthouse of Capdepera from 1861 situated at the most privileged spot on the hills overlooking Cala Ratjada. On clear days, you can see the coastline of Menorca from the lighthouse.

Another reason why Cala Ratjada started to attract attention, was because Leonor Servera Melis, wife of Juan March i Ordinas (founder of Banca March) born in the house of Ca’n Piricus, Capdepera, loved the area so much that she had the amazing manor of Palau de Can March constructed here. Soon after, more prominent families started spending their summer holidays in Cala Ratjada. The village and harbor area was extended and the beach of es Carregador was established to accommodate the affluent summer guests.

From the first third of the 20th century, Cala Ratjada really started to develop. The Passeig Colón was created and on this, the Na Ferradura shipyard. The wharf of sa Pedruscada followed with a series of barns to store cargo and goods created next to it.

The strong growth in both population and commercial activity affected the economy and demographics significantly in Cala Ratjada and Capdepera. By the late 1960’s, with the tourism boom, Cala Ratjada was one of the most important tourist destinations in the Mediterranean.

The 19th and 20th centuries also introduced the craft of palm-leaf works (llata), an emblematic socioeconomic factor of the area. To this point, Capdepera had relied solely on the traditional agricultural activities such as livestock (pigs and sheep), olives, figs, almonds and cereals.

Today, the economy is predominantly based on tourism from Cala Ratjada which is still one of the most popular summer holiday resorts in the north-eastern part of Mallorca. However, the areas of Canyamel, Font de sa Cala and Cala Mesquida make up a significant part of the tourism of Capdepera.