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The present position of the city of Palma de Mallorca is believed to have been originally occupied by a talayotic settlement closely associated with the sea. First invaded by the Romans and later by the Arabs who named it Madina Mayurqa, the city conserves evidence of those periods in monuments.

In 1229 Palma de Mallorca was conquered by King Jaime I, who founded a municipality that encompassed the whole island, hence its name Ciutat de Mallorca. As a result of the singular layout of the city, intersected by a river, there were two urban centres "Vila de Dalt" and "Vila d'Avall" situated on either side of the river's banks.

Because of its privileged geographic position, Palma de Mallorca was able to have important dealings with traders from the Maghreb, Italia and the Turkish Empire. At the beginning of the 16th century, plague, foreign rebellions and frequent attacks by Turkish pirates and the Berbers led to a slump in trading and the city entered a period of decline which lasted until the end of the 17th century.

In the 18th century, the new Decree of Nueva Planta by Philip V changed island's governmental and Palma became the capital of the new province of Baleares. Also in this century, under Charles III, freedom to trade with the Indies was established, leading to an increase in commerce in Mallorca and in our city's port. The French occupation of Algeria in the 19th century brought an end to the danger of Maghrebi attacks in Mallorca, resulting in the expansion of sea traffic and shipping lines.