Puigpunyent

Puigpunyent is a small district of Mallorca, located in the southwestern part of the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range, 15 kilometers from Palma. The municipality is divided into three urban centers: Puigpunyent, Galilea and Son Serralta and borders the districts of Esporles, Calvià, Banyalbufar, Estellencs and Palma.

If you like hiking, Puigpunyent is the perfect place for you, as the district has a large number of routes.

The municipality has an extensive network of public roads that have been used to connect the ‘possessions’ (farmhouses) and the urban centres, as well as to communicate with nearby towns and villages. Puigpunyent conserves a good inventory of traditional “ferradura” bridel and cart paths (means of transport with horseshoe, saddle, for people, or saddlebags. Some still maintain remains of cobblestones, spitters, steps, etc…. Other paths lead to old mountain constructions such as “Ranxos de carboners” (land set aside seasonally for one or more people for the traditional production of charcoal) and “Coll de tords” (trap for hunting thrushes), etc…

In terms of cultural and architectural heritage, Puigpunyent preserves elements and buildings from different historical periods. The municipality has an extraordinary archaeological heritage with more than 50 archaeological sites that are currently known, ranging from prehistoric times (the talaïots of Serral de les Abelles and the Casa del Gegant stand out), through the Roman period to the Islamic period.
As regards religious heritage, the church of Assumpció de la Mare de Déu, an 18th century temple, is one of the main highlights. In addition, the ” possessions puigpunyentines” are a reference point in Mallorca due to the monumentality and representativeness of the houses”.

Among its ethnological heritage, the marjats of Son Forteza and Son Nét, as well as those of Sa Coma, are of particular interest. These are type of terraces separated by dry stone walls (marge), on the side of a mountain, built to preserve the soil and to be able to cultivate mainly olive trees. There are also interesting mine springs (some from the Islamic period), the magnificent hydraulic network of Son Nét (with several flour mills and a paper mill), des Ratxo and Son Noguera de Superna; as well as mountain cisterns, lime and gypsum kilns, etc. The natural heritage of the area of Sa Riera, the forest of Conques, the holm oak of Son Nét, the oak of Casat Nou and the nettle trees of Sa Campaneta are particularly noteworthy.

GALILEA & SON SERRALTA

Four kilometres from the centre of Puigpunyent is Galilea, a beautiful “llogaret” ( a fairly small village without a town hall) made up of a small central nucleus and scattered houses accompanied by orchards and dry-land fields( marjats). The church of the Immaculate Conception, promoted by Captain Antoni Barceló i Pont de la Terra and blessed in 1810, is the most emblematic building, from where you can enjoy spectacular views of the surroundings.

Galilea was founded in the 16th century from L’establiment de Son Cortei, the most important farmhouse in the area. This new property was gradually divided into different plots, most of which were endowed with a piece of land, which, over the centuries, resulted in the current layout. In the 17th century, there were 21 properties and by the end of the following century, there were 80.

Heritage-wise, the village of Galilea preserves many points of interest. In addition to the church, it is worth mentioning the snow house, located in the upper part of the town, and the two flour windmills that crown Sa Mola; it is also worth mentioning some public reservoirs such as the well of Rafal, and finally some houses with painted tiles or with a sgraffito façade.

The beauty of the town centre and the surrounding landscape made artists and writers find inspiration in this place.

Just 3 kilometres from the village of Puigpunyent is the village of Son Serralta. There you will find the talaïot of Serral de les Abelles, a prehistoric construction, famous for the discovery of a sword from the Talayotic period (during the Bronze and Iron Ages) and 1 km away, the talaïot of Casa del Gegant (Giant), the most monumental talaïot in the municipality. Both are available as museums for visits.

FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

In addition to the Saturday market, Puigpunyent holds different fairs and markets, mainly in the spring and summer months. On the last weekend in May, the Fira Ecològica, Payesa and Artesana (ecological, peasant and artisan fair) is organised to promote the rural agricultural and ecological heritage of the district with the aim of promoting local products and respect for nature and the environment. Coinciding with the celebration of the Mare de Déu d'agost (the Assumption), a series of activities are organised in the village, including a music festival where young performers share the stage with others who are already established. On 8 September, Galilea dresses up to celebrate the Nativity of the Virgin with a series of events that end with an open-air dinner with the participation of all the villagers.

A LITTLE OF HISTORY

"The current name of Puigpunyent (from the Latin podio-pungentis), has its origin in the Puig de Galatzó (1,207 m), one of the most important peaks of the Serra de Tramuntana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the category of Cultural Landscape since 2011. But the origin of the human presence in Puigpunyent is much earlier, as the municipality preserves archaeological remains (it has more than 50 archaeological sites). Thanks to the water and the fertility of the land, the valley was occupied by the Muslims (903-1229 AD), who created different farmsteads that would form the origin of future possessions (Beniarxac, Benijafar, Arratxa, etc.). In the 13th century, the Parish Church was already documented and the first settlement developed around it, which began to expand slowly from the 17th century onwards. Between the 18th and 19th centuries, the possessió de Son Bru was established and the second settlement appeared. It was during the 2nd Republic when the two areas came together. In 1836, Estellencs, until then part of Puigpunyent, became independent."

Municipality of Legends

The legend of “Comte Mal” (the evil Count) is one of the best known in Mallorcan popular traditional tales and is closely linked to Puigpunyent through the Puig de Galatzó and the possessió de Son Pont.

The ‘Comte Mal’ is a figure that is repeated in the Catalan imagination and in Mallorca and he is identified with the real character of Ramon Burgues-Safortesa Pacs-Fuster de Vilallonga i Nét, second Count of Santa Maria de Formiguera (1627-1694), owner of Galatzó (Calvià) i Son Pont (Puigpunyent). According to legend, after a life of misdeeds, he was condemned to roam eternally without rest, his soul appears some nights on a horse, wrapped in flames and the smell of sulphur.

Puigpunyent also preserves other legends and traditions, some of which are included in the Rondalles Mallorquines (tales from the oral tradition that were passed from father to son) by Jordi des Recó, such as Es Gall de Foc, el Tresor del Puig de na Fàtima, sa Por de Son Fortesa, etc.