Manacor is a town and municipality on the island of Mallorca, part of the Spanish autonomous
community of the Balearic Islands. It has tourist areas like Porto Cristo, site of the
famous Caves of Drach, and Calas. Manacor has one of the busiest street markets on the
island, held every Monday morning. Manacor is famous for furniture manufacture and artificial
pearls.
History The first indications of human occupation
in the area of Manacor go back to 2000-1200 BC. Of this period are the artificial coves
as burial places, and a type of construction similar to the naveta, either isolated or
grouped in villages, which were used as living spaces
Of the megalithic Talaiot culture, the most outstanding constructions are s'Hospitalet
Vell, es Boc, Bellver, as well as the constructions of Bendrís, Son Sureda and Sa Gruta.
The origin of the town of Manacor goes back to the times before the Islamic dominance.
The submarine discoveries of objects found in Porto Cristo show that it was a Roman port.
The remains of the basilicas of sa Carrotja and son Peretó prove the existence of well-established
Christian communities. After the invasion launched by James I of
Aragon, Nuño Sánchez received from him the land of Manacor. In 1300, James II granted
Manacor a statute of municipality. The Torre del Palau and the fortification of some rural
houses like the Torre de ses Puntes and the Torre dels Enagistes have been preserved from
the beginnings of town planning at Manacor. A native of Manacor, Simó Tort, was a character
in medieval social conflicts. Saint Vincent Ferrer came to Manacor in 1414.
In 1576 the convent dedicated to the saint was founded, and after this the construction
of the baroque church began. At the beginning of the following century the construction
of the cloister began. In 1879 the railroad line from Inca to Manacor
was opened. About 1890 the construction of the new parish church Nostra Senyora dels
Dolors began, located on the same place as the former churches. The most ancient of them
had been documented in 1232 and had possibly been built upon an Arab mosque. The bell tower
of the present church, an emblem of the town, measures 75 metres. In 1897 the first factory
of artificial pearls, the famous Majorica, was founded. So Manacor became the business
and industrial centre of Llevant. In 1912 Manacor received the title of town.
In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, there was an attempted landing of Republican forces
in the shores of Porto Cristo that was repelled by the Nationalists.
Geography The relief is not very pronounced. It takes
in three areas: the flat region of the Pla, where the town of Manacor stands; the Serra
de Llevant, characterised by its soft relief; and the Marina, which is formed by white gritty
stone and inclines down to the sea. These limestone karsts have favoured the appearance
of caves. The most outstanding for their beauty are the Cavern of the Dragon and the Fishhook
Caves. Near the coast, there is one of the longest underwater caves known in Europe :
the Gleda-Camp des Pou system. It has more than 13 km in length.
A wide range of coves embellish the coast of Manacor: S'Illot, Cala Morlanda, Cala Petita,
Porto Cristo, Cala Anguila, Cala Mendia, s'Estany d'en Mas, Cala Falcó, Cala Varques, Cala
Sequer, Cala Magraner, Cala Pilota, Cala Virgili, Cala Bota, Cala Antena, Cala Domingos and
Cala Murada.
The climate is Mediterranean. The average annual temperature is between 16 and 17 °C.
The forest area represents little more than 20% of the whole. Pine forest is found in
the mountainous areas but there are hardly any survivals of the indigenous holm-oak woodlands.
The cultivated land represents 74% of the area. The agricultural landscape is characterized
by almond trees, cereals, fig trees, carob trees and vineyard. The cultivation of vegetables
is focused on melon, pepper and lettuce. The town of Manacor is crossed by the Sa Cabana
stream. This stream flows into the Na Borges stream, the most important of the municipality.
Demographics
Economy Until the 19th century the economy of Manacor
was based on agriculture and livestock, although the textile and food sectors as well as pottery
were important too. Although there are no longer the large estates that there were at
that time, there are some that maintain their antique splendor, such as Santa Cirga and
Es Fangar. The 19th century marked the beginning of the
transformation of the town. The industrial activities dedicated to the processing of
agricultural product increased; windmills and a liquor distillery appeared. From the
second half of the century on the production of furniture became one of the basic industries
of Manacor. Pottery and the production of liquors and wines also continued.
The factory of artificial pearls was very important during the 20th century.
From the 1960s, tourism was added to the development of the economic activity of the municipality.
Construction is an important sector, as well as commerce.
Culture Sant Antoni
The celebration begins with the exit of a group of disguised men of Saint Anthony, the
greater Demon and several smaller demons, on the eve of the 17 of January. They cross
the streets performing a dance that represents the temptations to which the saint was submitted.
At night bonfires are ignited. The group visit the several bonfires of the municipality.
People sing and dance, and eat "llangonisses" and "botifarrons".
On the following day are celebrated the "Beneïdes", a parade of floats and animals of all type.
They are blessed because the saint is the patron of the animals.
Fairs The most important are the Fires i Festes
de Primavera. They are celebrated from the end of May to the beginning of June. During
these days, they are many activities and exhibitions. The celebrations close with a great parade
of floats. Other fairs : Fair of Saint James, patron
of Manacor, the 25 July, and the September Fair.
Theatre Manacor has an important theatre season, the
Fira de Teatre de Manacor, usually in September/October. Moratons
This is a ritual dance of uncertain origin. It seems that was composed around the year
1855 with religious reasons, but it is possible that its origin goes back to 16th century.
The clothes of the Moretons looked like those of Barbary pirates. When they dance, they
hit wood pieces located in the hands, knees and abdomen.
Els Moretons go out in May, by the Sant Domingo celebrations.
Cossiers There are documents about this ritual dance
from 18th century. The cossiers are a group of men who dance around a woman known as "The
Lady". They wear hat and coloured clothes. Nowadays, they open the Fires i Festes de
Primavera. Vimer
This has been a legend for more than 100 years. The vimer is a willow located in S'Hort des
Correu, a country house in the outskirts of the town of Manacor. The legend says that
the tree can heal children with hernia. For this, they are passed through the branches
of the tree, when the sun rises on the Saint John's Day, the 24th of June.
Gastronomy Typical products are the Sospiros and the
Pastís de Pobre. Sports
In addition to the main sports, football and basketball, Manacor has horse racing fans
and there are chariot races at the hippodrome. Manacor is also the birthplace and home town
of tennis star Rafael Nadal. Natives of Manacor
Antoni Maria Alcover Miguel Ángel Nadal
Elena Gómez Luis Ladaria
Rafael Nadal Arnau Riera
Albert Riera References
The official website of Manacor Maps of Manacor