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A town that fought
to gain its autonomy
Deià gained independence from Valldemossa
in 1583. The confrontations between the mayor of Valldemossa
and the Abbot of the Monastery of Sant Bernat de la Real, in Palma,
both claiming their rights on Deià, ended on August 8th,
1526. On this date, the inhabitants of Deià erected a church
on a nearby hill and the Bishop sent them a priest. Following
these concessions to religious matters, they demanded administrative
independence from Valldemossa. The mayor of Valldemossa asked
the Governor of the island to refuse this demand.
A long litigation (57 years) followed. The
duration of this process is explained in part by economical reasons.
As the historian Josep Segura y Salado points out: "(1570)
The most important properties of the municipality (he refers to
Valldemossa) are those which can be seen from the Mirador de la
Cartoixa (looking towards the city) and all belong to noblemen
and citizens. (A list with the names of the owners follows) And
some dwellers of the city (Valldemossa) only have a house and
some parcels of terrain". The large properties of the
municipality belong to citizens who live in Palma, and therefore
Valldemossa could not subsist from the income of tax. It was customary
to pay taxes in the municipality where one lived, and not where
the properties where located. "Finally, on November 7th,
1583, under the reign of Felipe II, the Townspeople of Deià
gathered next to the church (they had no Town Hall at the moment)
and there the sentence that decreeted the separation of both municipalities
was read aloud." (Mossèn Jerónimo Pons).
Today, on the front wall of the church there is a plaque that
pays tribute to those who made it possible that we are now a
town.
Deià in the
latest centuries
In the following centuries, the olive
cultivation brought an enormous expansion to this small municipality.
Olive cultivation dates back from the periods of Muslim
and Roman domination. The many terraces that shaped the valley
were covered by olive trees up to 600 m. above sea level. The
fishing industry also contributed to the growth of Deià,
as well as the cultivation of citric fruits and farming. In the
high oak forests, among the lime kilns and charcoal burners' huts,
pigs were fattened on acorns. Wheat was cultivated on the top
of the hills and in winter the snow was reserved in the form of
ice blocks, which were used during the year for medicinal purposes.
The prosperity of this period is made clear by the fact that the
population reached 1.500 inhabitants.
The beauty of the land and the simple, relaxed
way of life were by the end of the XIX century, an attraction
to romantics, bohemians and artists such as the Archduke
Luís Salvador of Austria, the composer Manuel
de Falla, the painters Russinyol, Leman
and Junyer and the poets Robert Graves
and Laura Riding, some of which stayed for the
rest of their lives. This can be attested by a visit to the churchyard.
Nowadays, Deià has a population of 850 inhabitants
who sagely combine agriculture, crafts and the fine arts with
tourism and a controlled urban expansion which is adequate to
the impressive landscape, a good that is appreciated and well
preserved by the citizens.
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