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Mallorca: the Baleares’ grandest island
• 08 Nov 2007 •
 Mallorca is the largest island of Spain the name derives from the Latin word “insula maior”, meaning “larger island”. It is located in the Mediterranean Sea and is part of the Balearic Islands archipelago comprising Ibiza (Eivissa in Catalan), Formentera, and Minorca (Menorca in Catalan). The island is an extremely popular tourist destination. Mallorca has remained a popular destination for people from Germany and Britain since the beginning of package tourism to the island in 1952.
The capital, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Cabrera archipelago is administratively grouped with Mallorca (in the municipality of Palma).
Founding history of Mallorca:
Mallorca has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Burial chambers and remains from the Paleolithic period (6000–4000 BC) have been discovered. The island was occupied by the Romans in 123 BC under Quintus Caecilius Metellus. It flourished under Roman rule, during which time the towns of Pollentia (now Alcúdia), and Palmaria (now Palma) were founded. The local economy was largely driven by olive cultivation, vineyards, and salt mining. Mallorcan soldiers were valued within the Roman legions for their skill with the sling.
In 426, the Vandals sacked the island, and annexed it to their kingdom in 465. In 534, Mallorca was conquered by the Byzantine Empire, and administered as part of the province of Sardinia. Under Byzantine rule, Christianity flourished and numerous churches were built. But from 707, the island was increasingly attacked by Moslem raiders from North Africa.
In 902, the Caliphate of Cordoba conquered Mallorca, bringing a new period of prosperity for the island. With the Caliphate at its height, the Moors improved agriculture with irrigation, developed local industries and the island benefited from the overall prosperous times. After the Caliphate dismembered in 1015, a new, more decadent, era started. Mallorca came under rule by the Taifa of Denia, and from 1087–1114 was an independent taifa. However, in 1114, an expedition of Pisans and Catalans overran the island, laying siege to Palma for eight months. After the city fell, the invaders retreated, and were replaced by the Almoravides from North Africa, who ruled till 1203. The Almoravides were replaced by the Almohad dynasty until 1229. In the ensuing confusion and unrest, King James I of Aragon launched an invasion with 15,000 men and 1,500 horses, annexing the island to his Crown of Aragon after a three month campaign.
After the death of James I in 1276, his kingdom was divided between his sons. James II became king of the new Kingdom of Mallorca. In 1344, King Peter IV of Aragon invaded, and re-incorporated the island into the Crown.
From 1479, the Crown of Aragon was in dynastic union with that of Castile. In the early 18th century, the War of the Spanish Succession resulted in the replacement of that dynastic union with a unified Spanish monarchy. In 1716 the Decretos de Nueva Planta made Mallorca part of the Spanish province of Baleares, roughly equivalent to present-day Illes Balears province and autonomous community.
Palma:
The capital of Mallorca, Palma, was first founded on the remains of a Talaiotic settlement as a Roman camp called Palmaria. The turbulent history of the city saw it subject to several Vandal sackings during the fall of the Roman Empire. It was later reconquered by the Byzantines, colonised by the Moors (who called it Medina Maura), and finally established by James I of Aragon. In 1983, Palma was adopted as the capital of the autonomous region of the Balearic Islands.
20th century and today:
Since the 1950s, the advent of mass tourism radically changed the physiognomy of both the city and the island, transforming it into a centre of attraction for foreign visitors and attracting workers from mainland Spain. This contributed to a huge change in the traditions, the language, urbanisation and acquisitive power.
The boom in tourism caused Palma to grow significantly, with repercussions on immigration. In 1960 Mallorca received 500,000 visitors, while in 1997 it received 6,739,700. In 2001, more than 19,200,000 people passed through Son Sant Joan Airport in Palma, with an additional 1.5 million arriving by sea.
In the 21st century, urban redevelopment, by the so-called Pla Mirall (Mirror Plan), attracted important groups of immigrant workers from outside the European Union, especially from countries such as Africa and South America.
In 2005, there were more than 2,400 restaurants on the island of Mallorca, according to the Mallorcan Tourist Board. They ranged from small bars to full scale restaurants. Despite Mallorca’s location in the Mediterranean, seafood is often imported so olives and almonds are typical of the Mallorcan diet. The island now has more than four million almond and olive trees. Among the food items that can be truly stated as being “Mallorquin” are sobrassada, arros brut a version of paella which is generally saffron rice cooked with chicken, pork and vegetables and, for the sweet lover, ensaïmada. |  Return to Top
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