The first thing that comes to mind when naming the island of Mallorca are the idyllic Caribbean-style beaches, and above all, Magaluf leading among the most popular sites for fun and drunkenness. Mass tourism also does not lag behind, complicating the daily life of residents during the summer. This territory is experiencing a marked socio-economic transformation characterized by drastic growth and the proportion of population born outside the Balearic archipelago (La meitat de la població…, 2024). Like any current tourist destination, Mallorca was once occupied by local and humble people, mostly from the farming community and with harsh conditions of survival (fig. 1) (Mascaró Massanet, 2025).
Precisely to better understand this situation, I like to compare Mallorca with a Matrioshka. Currently, we only limit ourselves to seeing the outer doll, being a place where quality of life is notable according to rankings of the best travel destinations in Europe (RogoTravel, 2024). But to get here, to this large Russian nesting doll, one has passed through other layers of the Matrioshka –that is, through other historical phases– that society quickly forgets. Given the situation of misinformation and to avoid the Mallorcan Matrioshka from becoming hollow, we have tried to combat this collective ignorance of island identity with education, dissemination of an academic project, and its social awareness. Heritage is the way to connect people with their environment.
To put things in context, the research carried out revolves around the roters, the poorest farmers of Mallorca between the 17th and 20th centuries (Mascaró Massanet, 2023a; Mascaró Massanet, 2025). Indeed, you can imagine that, being marginalized by society, they remained invisible in historical discourse. The interesting thing is discovering that this group was the majority of the time and, consequently, essential for the proper functioning of the rural machinery. Along these lines, Jaume Alzina i Mestre counted in 1818 in Artá, where we focused our project, that the small farmers –owners of less than five hectares– represented between the 83-90% of land owners in the municipality, despite occupying only 7.60% of municipal surface area (Alzina i Mestre, 1993, p. 86).
All this leads us to conclude that, in Mallorcan villages, many of their inhabitants have a percentage of «ADN roter». Paradoxically, the countryside life is being reduced to a minority whose knowledge will be increasingly valued. New generations no longer recognize an almond tree, now it's just "a tree." A roter would be surprised to see all their belongings in ethnological exhibitions, and how today we are extremely dependent on technology, water, gas or electricity, as well as the famous blackout that affected much of Spain on April 28. Overnight they can turn from being our «besties» to the riders of the Apocalypse if any of them fails us. How little have we learned; there is clearly a need for more connection with nature and, especially, less mobile phone use. The simple modus vivendi of farmers would be unthinkable in the face of the monster of current consumerism: gifts for Christmas, birthdays, saints –if I push it– and the cherry on top for February 14th –for the fortune of loving couples.
It should be noted that the oral source was fundamental to the work, especially older people who had lived close to the world of the roters. Talking with them was like going back in time, what a great privilege it was to hear them. And interviews should be highlighted precisely because, just as the roters in history, oral sources are often forgotten among information resources when conducting research. However, the reality is that for many people grandparents only tell us "things" or "stories" from their youth, nothing more. Surprisingly, talking to them, some did not even know who the roters were, making me realize the importance of the project and its identity character for the town of Artá.
Once the Undergraduate Thesis on the roters was completed, we immersed ourselves in the necessary tasks of dissemination. During the project, it was innovated with the creation of 3D models of abandoned huts as didactic tools and means easily capturing public interest (fig. 2). On the other hand, an activity was proposed to value the role of the woman rotera –a subordinate figure in a subordinate world– where participants would make objects of llatra, the typical basketry of eastern Mallorca that fell on them.
A great boost was undoubtedly the TV report for IB3 (Ferrera, 2023), the autonomous media, as well as various radio interviews (Amorós et al., 2024). Meanwhile, in the town, the birthplace of the project, articles were published in the local magazine Bellpuig (Mascaró Massanet, 2023b; Mascaró Massanet, 2023c; Mascaró Massanet, 2023d), with dissemination purposes, adapting the content to an easy and understandable reading, and a conference was held to speak extensively about the roters, followed by a guided tour in situ by our team of these constructions, facilitating direct access to the cultural legacy and heritage of the roters and allowing a deeper understanding of their socio-cultural context (fig. 3).
Despite the clear generational change, all the effort dedicated to dissemination was rewarded, leaving residents very satisfied and grateful for bringing this part of our history to light. With the baggage of new knowledge, it is interesting to analyze the environment where we live and how some elements roters still remain among us, forming part of the identity of the Mallorcan village. The Mallorcan rondalles, fantastic stories of island society that are still told to children, always start with the same refrain:
«This was and yet it wasn't,
may you have a good journey with your notebook,
a bushel for you, a barrel for me.»
I would like through the dissemination of this research work to remember especially this last phrase. This "for you a bushel, for me a barrel" refers to units of measurement, objects already used by the roters and understanding that the second has more capacity than grain than the first. The cunning of farmers always goes beyond a simple rhyme, giving us an idea of the hunger and hardship they lived through and making it clear to us that food is not something to be trifled with. Whatever can be swept under the rug for home is better, that's for sure.
It is incomprehensible how the ruins of these huts, which are in plain sight, have gone unnoticed until today. Most people had not wondered what they were and, much less, who lived there. Now it is exciting to know that citizens appreciate the work done because they understand and feel sensitivity for the first time towards these constructions, identify them, value them, and see them with new eyes. Especially, it gives hope to find interest in young people who, within the digital whirlwind of new generations, still show interest in our past.
Bibliography
Alzina i Mestre, J. (1993). Population, land and property in the Llevant region of Mallorca (17th / 19th -20th centuries). Municipalities of Artà, Capdepera and Son Servera. Edition: Town Hall of Artá in collaboration with the Town Hall of Son Servera, the Town Hall of Capdepera i the Caixa de Baleares “Sa Nostra”.
Amorós, B., Cortès, M., Mascaró Massanet, B. (2024). Interview about the study of Artà's rotes on the Connexió Local program [online]. Broadcast on IB3 Radio. The interview starts at min. 18:45. https://ib3alacarta.com/radio/connexiolocal/e20240225210401.
Boned Ribas, C. (2015). Artà's Girls [online photograph]. FOTOS Antigues d’Artà on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/FotosAntiguesDarta/photos/a.1211599525648131/1727946467346765/?type=3
Ferrera, M. (2023). Artà's Rotes: A Story to Discover [online]. IB3 Notícies a la carta. https://ib3.org/ses-rotes-darta-una-historia-per-descobrir.
Half of the population in the Balearic Islands was born elsewhere, number of Spaniards decreases in Catalonia and increases significantly in Valencia (2024) [online]. Diario digital VilaWeb. https://www.vilaweb.cat/noticies/radiografia-paisos-catalans-poblacio-illes/.
Mascaró Massanet, B. (2023a). Archaeological study on the rotes and their immediate environment in the Natural Park of Llevant Peninsula (Artà, Mallorca) [online] [Undergraduate Thesis Archaeology, University of Barcelona]. https://diposit.ub.edu/dspace/handle/2445/203689.
Mascaró Massanet, B. (2023b). The roters' hole [online]. Revista Bellpuig, 1101, 24-25. https://www.revistabellpuig.cat/lestudi-de-les-rotes-de-barbara-mascaro-premiat-per-la-universitat-de-barcelona/.
Mascaró Massanet, B. (2023c). Who doesn't know it, doesn't value it [online]. Revista Bellpuig, 1102, 25. https://www.revistabellpuig.cat/lestudi-de-les-rotes-de-barbara-mascaro-premiat-per-la-universitat-de-barcelona/.
Mascaró Massanet, B. (2023d). Rotes, the humblest farmers [online]. Revista Bellpuig, 1100, 26-27. https://www.revistabellpuig.cat/lestudi-de-les-rotes-de-barbara-mascaro-premiat-per-la-universitat-de-barcelona/.
Mascaró Massanet, B. (2025). The Marginalized Mallorca: the Rotes and their Legacy (Part I) [online]. ArqueoTimes, 12. /articulos/la-mallorca-marginada-los-roters-y-su-legado-parte-i/.
RogoTravel (2024). Top 17 Summer Destinations in Europe 2024 [online]. RogoTravel. https://rogotravel.com/top-17-destinos-de-verano-en-europa-2024/.
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