A short history of Mallorca

Mallorca's history in five moments:

• Prehistory: the Talaiotic culture built stone towers and villages about 3,000 years ago, and its slingers were famous across the Mediterranean.
• Romans (123 BC): they founded Palma and Pollentia, next to today's Alcúdia.
• Islamic period (902-1229): Madina Mayurqa was a thriving city; the Arab Baths, the Almudaina and the irrigation channels date from then.
• Christian conquest: on 31 December 1229 Jaume I took the city and the Kingdom of Mallorca was born, leaving the Cathedral, Bellver and La Lonja as its legacy; the coastal watchtowers recall centuries of pirate raids.
• 19th and 20th centuries: travellers like Chopin and the Archduke arrived, and from the 1950s tourism transformed the island.

Today it's part of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, with Palma as its capital.

You can trace this history in a weekend. The Talaiotic culture is easiest to see at Ses Païsses, beside Artà, a village among holm oaks you can walk round in half an hour, and at Capocorb Vell, near Llucmajor. The Romans left the ruins of Pollentia, right next to Alcúdia's town walls. Islamic Palma survives in the Arab Baths and in the narrow street plan of the old town.

The 19th century has its own route in the Tramuntana. Chopin and George Sand spent the winter of 1838 to 1839 in the Valldemossa Charterhouse, where he finished his Preludes; you can visit the cells where they stayed. Soon after, Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria bought estates on the coast between Valldemossa and Deià and wrote a vast work on the Balearics that helped travellers from all over Europe discover the island.

Frequently asked questions

What language do they speak in Mallorca?

There are two official languages: Catalan, in its local variety called Mallorquí, and Spanish. Road signs, village names and many menus are in Catalan. In tourist areas English and German are widely spoken too.

Where can I see Talaiotic sites in Mallorca?

The easiest to visit are Ses Païsses, beside Artà, a walled village among holm oaks you can walk round in half an hour, and Capocorb Vell, near Llucmajor. They are around 3,000 years old. Check opening times before you go, as they change with the season.

Updated in October 2026