The Cap del Moro

Look up. At the corner of the Born and Carrer de Jovellanos, a turbaned stone head watches the passers-by. Locals call it the Cap del Moro, «the Moor's Head», and its origin is one of the city's small riddles.

1Three explanations

The version most often repeated in guidebooks speaks of a crime. In 1731, a Muslim slave is said to have killed his master, a priest. He was executed and, according to those accounts, his hand was displayed on the wall of the house as a warning; some claim its remains could still be seen behind a grille in the 19th century.

Another version links the head to the victories of Captain Antoni Barceló, the 18th-century Mallorcan sailor who became the terror of North African corsairs. A third, far less dramatic, suggests the piece is simply a reused decorative element.

None of the three versions has been confirmed by documents.

2What we do know

Slavery was a reality in early modern Mallorca: men and women captured in wars and by privateers worked in the island's houses and fields. Public executions and exemplary punishments existed too. That is why the legend sounded believable to those who told it.

For years the head was hidden behind a shop awning; today it is visible again.

3What to look for

• The turbaned head, on the corner at first-floor level.
• The turtle obelisk, in the neighbouring square.
• The plane trees of the Born, shading the old bed of the torrent.