Work being carried out in Palma's Plaça Espanya has revealed another part of the city wall that was built in the late sixteenth century.
Angélica Pastor, Palma's councillor for infrastructure, is not surprised by the discovery, as the wall has long been documented. The town hall was fully aware of its existence before work started. Because of this, the contractor, Melchor Mascaró, has to have an archaeology service available, "as we took it for granted that something like this could appear".
In accordance with regulations for historical remains, the Council of Mallorca's heritage department has been notified. Pastor says that the finding has come as no surprise to the Council either; it also has the remains of the wall well documented.
For now, work will be halted in the area of the discovery but continue elsewhere, while the town hall waits for a Council decision. As the wall's existence was already known, Pastor doesn't believe that work will be delayed.
The status of this finding is the same as the bastion that was exposed by the recent sinkhole on the Avenidas. Also part of the sixteenth-century wall, it had been documented; as the town hall explained, it wasn't therefore a discovery as such. The Council's heritage department had no objection to it being covered up again when the sinkhole was repaired.
The infrastructure department says that it has no plan, for now, to put glass down in the square so that the wall can be seen, something which has been done with similar remains. It may instead put some form of mark on the new paving to indicate the layout of the old wall.