The 16th century witnessed the construction of a new fortification for the town of Eivissa – it would not be granted city status until 1782 – which, with its seven bastions, was intended to ensure the population’s safety against the new weapons of war. On December 4, 1999, these walls were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
However, the same century that marked such a significant transformation in the island’s defensive system was also a time of crisis. The causes were varied: insecurity, drought, poor harvests, and therefore food shortages. Added to this was a still-sparse population following the beginning of repopulation after the Catalan conquest in 1235.
Moreover, Formentera had been uninhabited since the second half of the 14th century, which posed a security risk to Ibiza, as it served as a refuge for enemy ships using it as a staging point before attacking the island. In fact, numerous raids are documented during those decades, particularly by Turks, Algerians and French forces, targeting areas such as Ses Salines – especially in summer, when much of the population relocated to the salt ponds for the salt harvest – as well as Sant Antoni de Portmany, Santa Eulària and the district of La Marina, which for centuries would serve as the city’s commercial quarter.
The local population also endured attacks from the Spanish crown itself. This was the case in 1518, when troops under Hug de Montcada, serving King Charles I and returning from Algiers, devastated the island. As a result, a significant portion of the scarce public funds was allocated to maintaining surveillance at various coastal points to alert the population when enemy ships were spotted on the horizon.
Some of these lookout points included Peralta, Corona, the chapel of Sant Antoni in Portmany (built in the 14th century), Formentera, and others. In this context, and in view of the ineffectiveness of the old medieval wall –parts of which are still preserved today, such as some of the towers and Sa Portella, and one of the entrances to the town leading to the Main Street of Dalt Vila – the Crown decided to erect a new fortification.
The chief foreman for the construction work that took place over seven years was an Ibizan whose name now graces a street in the city: Antoni Jaume de Bernat.
