TRAIL 1 Palma and Calvià

The city of Palma was founded as a consequence of the Roman conquest in 123 BC, although there had probably been a previous talayot settlement on the site, occupying the cliff tops that overlooked the mouth of the sa Riera water course. The existence of another inhabited zone in the area of Plaça Rosari is also considered to be likely.

There are no remains of talayots visible in the capital of Majorca; however one can visit the Museu de Mallorca, where there is an exhibition room devoted to prehistoric culture. The Museu d'Historia de la Ciutat, in Bellver Castle, is also worth a visit; there, one can see a reconstruction and photographs of the Son Oms settlement.

Son Oms is just next to the exit from the airport onto the s'Arenal motorway in the Santanyí direction. The sanctuary of Son Oms is typical of the usual talayot model, with a rectangular ground plan and a huge entranceway. It is built of enormous blocks of stone.

Puig de sa Morisca is in the municipality of Calvià. There is a small hill called sa Morisca, which overlooks Santa Ponça. An important settlement was built there and was inhabited from the Talayot Age up to the Moorish period. It was the precursor of the modern conurbation of Santa Ponça. Talayot of Son Miralles It is easy to get to the talayot; one skirts the fence of the golf course below the Puig de sa Morisca and crosses the stone wall at the end. The talayot is circular and its entrance is still well conserved. About 400 metres to the left of the path that leads in the direction of the nearby wood, one can see the ruins of the sanctuary of Fornets, a good example of a religious centre near a populated area.