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| The Grandma in Plaça Major, Palma |
Today, The Grandma and Claire Fontaine have visited some of the most important places of Palma.
Last night, they celebrated Sant Sebastià, the patron of the city, with thousands of Mallorcan people who danced near wonderful bonfires.
After visiting the Cathedral, one of the most incredible monuments of the island, they have returned to their hotel where they have rested a little.
The hotel is located in Almudaina Street and it is an incredible Mallorcan palace.
The Grandma has studied a new lesson of her Elementary Language Practice manual (Vocabulary 2).
More information: Vocabulary 2-Family Matters
Palma is the capital and largest city of Balearic Islands. It is situated on the south coast of Mallorca on the Bay of Palma. The Cabrera Archipelago, though widely separated from Palma proper, is administratively considered part of the municipality.
Palma was founded as a Roman camp upon the remains of a Talaiotic settlement. The city was subjected to several Vandal raids during the fall of the Western Roman Empire, then reconquered by the Byzantine Empire, then colonised by the Moors, who called it Medina Mayurqa, and, in the 13th century, by King Jaume I.
After the conquest of Mallorca, the city was loosely incorporated into the province of Tarraconensis by 123 BC; the Romans founded two new cities: Palma
on the south of the island, and Pollentia in the northeast -on the site
of a Phoenician settlement. Whilst Pollentia acted as a port to Roman
cities on the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, Palma was the port
used for destinations in Africa, such as Carthage, and Hispania, such as
Saguntum, Gades and Carthago Nova. Though present-day Palma has no significant remains from this period, occasional archaeological finds are made in city centre excavations.
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| With Margalida and Tomeu, Giants of Palma |
Though the period between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the Muslim conquest is not well understood, due to lack of documents, there is clear evidence of a Byzantine presence in the city, as indicated by mosaics found in the oldest parts of the Cathedral, which was in early medieval times part of a paleo-Christian temple.
Between 902 and 1229, the city was under Islamic control. It remained the capital of the island and it was known as Medina Mayurqa, which in Arabic means City of Majorca.
On 31 December 1229, after three months of siege, the city was reconquered by King Jaume I and was renamed Ciutat de Mallorca. In addition to being kept as capital of the Kingdom of Mallorca, it was given a municipality that comprised the whole island. The governing arm was the University of the City and Kingdom of Mallorca.
After the death of King Jaume I, Palma became joint capital of the Kingdom of Mallorca, together with Perpignan. His son, Jaume II of Mallorca, championed the construction of statues and monuments in the city: Bellver Castle, the churches of St. Francesc and St. Domingo, reformed the Palace of Almudaina and began the construction of the Cathedral of Mallorca.
More information: Ajuntament de Palma
In 1391, anti-Jewish riots broke out. The Jewish community of Inca was completely wiped out, as were those of Sóller, Sineu, and Alcudia. In spite of the governor's prohibition on leaving the island, many Jews fled to North Africa. The remaining Jews were forced to convert under threat of death.
Abraham Cresques was a 14th-century Jewish cartographer of the Majorcan cartographic school from Palma; Cresques is credited with the authorship of the famous Catalan Atlas.
The river that cut through the city gave rise to two distinct areas within the city; the Upper town and Lower town, depending upon which side of the river one was situated. Palma's Silk Exchange, a masterpiece of the Gothic architecture in Mallorca. Built between 1420 and 1452.
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| The Grandma with 'Els Xeremiers', Majorcan Giants |
The city's advantageous geographical location allowed it extensive commerce with Catalonia, Valencia, Provence, the Maghreb, the Italian republics and the dominions of the Great Turk, which heralded a golden age for the city.
The 17th century is characterised by the division of the city in two sides or gangs, named Canamunts and Canavalls, with severe social and economical repercussions. During this period the port became a haven for pirates. During the last quarter of the century, the Inquisition continued its persecution of the city's Jews, locally called xuetes.
The fall of Barcelona in 1714 meant the end of the War of the Spanish Succession and the defeat and destruction of the Crown of Aragon, and this was reflected on the Nueva Planta decrees, issued by Philip V of Spain in 1715. These occupation decrees changed the government of the island and separated it from the municipality's government of Palma, which became the official city name. By the end of the 19th century, the name Palma de Mallorca was generalised in written Spanish, although it is still colloquially named Ciutat in Catalan.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Palma became a refuge for many who had exiled themselves from the Napoleonic occupation of Catalonia and Valencia; during this period freedom flourished, until the absolutist restoration.
The patron of Palma is Sant Sebastià (January, 20). The city celebrates this festivity with traditional cultural events. Giants, bonfires, and local dancings (ball de bot) are enjoyed by everybody.
More information: Lonely Planet
Popular culture is most powerful when
it offers us a vision of how our society
should look -or at least reproduces our reality.
Janet Mock
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