History

Formentera is a small island with a long history. Its story is that of an island exposed to the open sea: inhabited, abandoned, and repopulated time and again, following the rhythm of the Mediterranean. The first settlers Stable human presence is documented from the end of the third millennium BC. The megalithic tomb of Ca na Costa (circa 2000–1600 BC) is the most emblematic monument of that period and one of the most important in the Balearic Islands: a collective burial mound that reveals an organized community much earlier than previously thought. In the far south, the settlements of Cap de Barbaria I, II, and III preserve Bronze Age huts and stone enclosures. Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans During antiquity, Phoenicians and Carthaginians frequented its shores, and with Rome, the island became linked to Ebusus (Ibiza). The Latin name Frumentaria— "the island of wheat"—dates from that period, alluding to its role as a granary. The Can Blai site, a small fortification ( castellum ) from the late Roman period, is the main surviving Roman vestige. From al-Andalus to the Crown of Aragon After centuries of Andalusian presence —which left its mark on place names, wells and farming systems—, the Pitiüses Islands were conquered in 1235 by the troops of Guillem de Montgrí and integrated into the Crown of Aragon . The uninhabited island Between the 14th and 17th centuries, Formentera was practically uninhabited . The plague, poor harvests, and above all, the continuous attacks of Barbary pirates made a stable life impossible: the island was used as pastureland and salt production from Ibiza, but no one dared to reside there permanently. The repopulation of the 18th century The Renaissance arrived at the end of the 17th century : in 1697 , the Crown granted Marc Ferrer the right to repopulate the island. The new settlers, arriving from Ibiza, built fortified churches —such as Sant Francesc (1726), also conceived as a refuge—and a network of coastal defense towers (Sa Gavina, des Garroveret, des Pi des Català, de la Punta Prima) to watch the horizon. Wells, waterwheels, and cisterns finally made a land with little water habitable. From the field to the salt During the 19th and much of the 20th centuries, Formentera relied on a subsistence economy: wheat, fig trees, vineyards, livestock, and fishing , and above all, the salt from Ses Salines , which became its main source of income. The harshness of life drove many Formentera residents to emigrate. The hippies and the shift to tourism In the 1960s and 70s , its isolation and stark beauty attracted artists and countercultural travelers: the island became forever linked to the bohemian spirit of that era. Since then, tourism has become the main economic driver and has transformed the island without entirely erasing the serene character that makes it unique. Today, Formentera is committed to a sustainable model that protects precisely what made it famous: its clean waters, its Posidonia seagrass meadows, and its tranquility.