Gatamoix, also known as Poble Nou, was one of nine farming colonies that were established in Mallorca under an 1868 Spanish law. Four were to survive and ultimately thrive - Colonia Sant Jordi, Colonia Sant Pere, Porto Cristo and Portocolom - while the others all failed for one reason or another.
At the foot of the Puig Sant Martí in Alcudia, Gatamoix was founded by the New Majorca Land Company in 1876. This company was the vehicle for a group of British engineers to undertake the draining and cultivation of Albufera. One of these engineers, Henry Waring, was specifically responsible for the founding of the colony.
The company was to go bankrupt. Its assets, including Gatamoix, were bought by a Mallorcan aristocrat, Joaquim Gual de Torrella, in 1896. The colony was progressively dismantled. By 1923 it was fully depopulated. All that remained was what became the refuge of Poble Nou.
The refuge and land are the property of the Piarist Order. Dedicated to education, the colony has been a centre for, among other things, scouts' summer camps. Until last year, it was managed by the Fundació Maria Ferret. The Piarists had decided to sell a number of properties, and Gatamoix was one of them.
A petition was raised objecting to the sale of Poble Nou to private interests. In response to this, Alcudia Town Hall has included it among a thirty million euro package to acquire land and heritage assets. The mayor, Fina Linares, will give details of the purchase once it is completed.