Located on the east coast of Mallorca, 50 km from Palma, Manacor is one of the biggest, more economically diverse municipalities on Mallorca, serving as a commercial centre for all the surrounding villages. The two main tourist areas are Porto Cristo, site of the famous Caves of Drach, and Calas de Mallorca. For anyone wanting to get a peek at everyday Mallorcan living, Manacor has one of the busiest street markets on the island, held every Monday morning at Placa Ramon Llull.

Manacor is well known for cultured pearls. The first factory of cultured pearls was started in 1897, and is famous for producing the famous Majorica pearl, a pearl said to be of such exceptional quality to the point where it is barely distinguishable from the genuine naturally formed article. These cultured pearls are produced through a unique process that combines glass and pulverised fish scales.


Horses have always been deep rooted into the Mallorcan way of life and traditions. The chariot races held every weekend at the Hipodrom de Manacor on Saturday afternoons provide an entertaining Saturday afternoon. Manacor is also very famous for its wood products, and people from all over the island travel all the way to Manorca to buy their furniture.

The origin of the town of Manacor goes back to the times before Islamic dominance. The local countryside contains many prehistoric archaeological remnants in Porto Cristo showing that it was a much frequented Roman port. The remains of the basilicas of sa Carrotja and Son Pereto prove the existence of well-established Christian communities.


Festival of Sant Antoni
The celebration begins with the exit of a group of disguised men of Saint Anthony, the greater Demon and several smaller demons, on the eve of the 17 of January. They cross the streets performing a dance that represents the temptations to which the saint was submitted. At night, bonfires are ignited and people sing and dance around the flames. Later in the night, as the flames die down, people use the embers to cook local Mallorcan sausages "llangonisses" and "botifarrons".

On the following day people celebrate the Beneides de Sant Antoni, a parade of animal floats of all shapes and sizes to pay tribute to Saint Anthony, the patron saint of the animals.

Geography
The landscape in Manacor is much dryer here than in the North of the Island and the relief is not as pronounced. These limestone karsts around Manacor have led to the creation of several caves inthis area. The most outstanding for their singular beauty are the Caves of Drach and the Caves of Hams.

The forest area represents little more than 20% of the whole area surrounding Manacor. Pine forest are fairly developed in the mountainous area with small patches of the indigenous holm-oak woodlands. 74% of the area surrounding Manacor is has been cultivated for agriculture, mainly almond trees, cereals, fig trees, carob trees and vineyards. You will also find melon, pepper and lettuce.

A Visit to the pearl factory
The largest pearl factory outlet on Mallorca is Perlas Majorica on Via Majorica (tel. +34 971 550 200). Tours of the factory are available on Monday to Friday from 9am to 7pm. On Saturday and Sunday, the factory is open from 9:45am to 1pm. Admission is free and you will have a chance to watch staff shape and polish pearls.  There is also a guide on hand to explain how the famous Majorica pearl is made. Perlas Majorica carry a 10-year guarantee on their pearls.