Piles of stones or high architecture of the original Mallorcans

The Egyptians built the pyramids. The Romans had amphitheatres. And the Mallorcans have talayots. If you want to find out more about the island's indigenous inhabitants, visit Capocorb Vell, one of the best excavated prehistoric villages on the Balearic Islands.

When the Stone Age people still lived peacefully on Mallorca, there was no need for permanent settlements. But one day, in the 13th century BC, the prehistoric Mallorcans arrived on the island, probably from the Spanish mainland or the eastern Mediterranean. They were warlike and built fortified settlements with thick walls, from the centre of which massive watchtowers - the talayots - protruded. Around 100 people lived in one such village and soon the whole of Mallorca was covered in such settlements. The Talayotic era began and lasted until the arrival of the Romans on Mallorca.

The Talayot people were excellent warriors and soon their stone-throwing skills were so well known that they were even hired as mercenaries by the Romans.This and the influence of foreign cultures, with whom the original Mallorcans traded extensively, led to the decline of the Talayotic culture. And unfortunately, their traditional construction method of stacking stone blocks on top of each other without any binding agents meant that not much remained of the villages either. Loose stones was used for new, modern dwellings.

There are only 2 reasonably well-preserved Talayotic settlements left on Mallorca. One of them is Capocorb Vell. Here you can still discover the remains of the fortification walls, the watchtowers and a few houses.

By the way: the slingshot is still used today at traditional festivals. And the construction methods of the original Mallorcans have been continued in the typical dry stone walls.

How to get there: The best way is by car. Capocorb Vell is approx. 30 minutes' drive and 26 kilometres from the hotel.