A prehistoric group of caves known from long ago

You cannot leave Cala de Sant Vicenç without visiting the Alzinaret prehistoric caves dated around 1600 B.C., in the Middle Bronze Age.

It is a necropolis formed by some artificial caves of which only its morphology can be appreciated; as it usually happens in these old constructions, they have suffered numerous despoilments that have even induced to the disappearance of some of them. So, from the fourteen caves it was known existed in 1887, today only seven remain.

To visit these caves you must follow a path that surrounds the hill where they are located. The caves are of various types: some have a circular plan and a vaulted ceiling, while others have a more complicated structure. This is the case of the cave known as' Num. 7 of Hemp ', in honor of the British archaeologist who made his inventory in 1927, Wilfrid Hemp. This cave has remains of a front patio, an antechamber, a series of recesses destined to place the closing slab of the burial and others to place wooden crossbars to keep the slab in place, a central casting, shelves and side benches, probably to place the offerings.

THE MOST RECENT HISTORY

Some of the features that can be observed in these caves are traces of more recent human activity, such as pits dug into the ground, probably by smugglers, or niches carved into the side walls beneath the original ledges. The looting suffered by these caves has left very few remains of the burials that once took place here. Only fragments of bone objects known as V-perforated buttons have been found, together with a baetyl idol (a cylindrical stone considered sacred).

On the other hand, the modern development of this area, with several residential estates built during the 20th century, is closely linked to the artists who found their source of inspiration in Cala Sant Vicenç and who turned Pollença into a meeting place for artists during that period. In fact, the Serra del Cavall Bernat and Formentor are the two landscapes most frequently depicted in the works of the artists who visited Pollença.