Son Mercer de Baix. Naviforme settlement.

The settlement consists of a set of boat-shaped stone dwellings known as naviformes, which gave their name to a long Prehistoric period in the island’s history (1700-1400 B.C.). Seven dwellings have been identified in all, with two different types, five horseshoe-shaped and two square. Although most of them are small, the settlement is spectacular for the strategic position it ocupies overlooking the ravine of Son Fideu and for one of its buildings, the Cova des Moro. The settlers lived off the land around and in the ravine, which was also their route to the sea.

 The farm house at Son Mercer de Baix.

 The same farm house, in the 1940's

Cova d'es Moro

 Horseshoe-shaped dwelling

 The fertile land at the ravine of Son Fideu.

The Cova des Moro is the only known naviforme that still has its horizontal stone roof slabs in place, supported by three vertical pillars. The outer wall is very regular and built with very well-squared stones. The roof of this type of building would normally have been made of wood, mud and branches, which did not survive the passage of time. In this case, part of the roof has been preserved; it was restored in 2002 after collapsing in the late 1990s.
Excavation work carried out on the settlement unearthed a number of bronze items, now on display in the Museum of Menorca. They include a small ingot, fragments of slag, a chisel and a bracelet, showing that the people who lived here knew how to make bronze.