VISIT TO THE FONT DES VERGER
Traditionally, a typical folk dance is held on the evening of the day of Santa Maria, at which apples are sold that have been picked that same morning by the stream known as both ‘des Horts’ and ‘de ses Fonts’.
A much rarer sight is water in the stream bed where this spring is situated, the afore mentioned stream ‘des Horts’ or ‘de ses Fonts’ (‘Font’ means spring, and the stream is so named for the numerous springs to be found along its length), though recently there has been a fine trickle due to the last weeks’ abundant rains.
To get to this spring, coming from Ibiza city, you should take the first right after crossing the bridge of the es Cubells road (which is just after a downhill slope with various bends).
Once on this turn off, which ends up on the San José to es Cubells road, the landscape is worth slowing down for to contemplate the stream, which we will cross, leaving it to our left.
The spring features in the documentation which deals with the construction of the church of San José, which took place between 1726 and 1731, where it states that water from the spring was used to make the mortar with sand and lime.
It also appears in the “Mapa de la isla de de Iviza, dividido en cinco partes llamadas quartones” (Map of Ibiza, divided into five parts called ‘quartones’ of 1765), by the military engineer, J. García Martínez.
Historically, the spring was used for both human and livestock consumption, and there is a stone trough for the latter’s use. The classic summer folk dance took place every 5th August, day of Santa Maria de les Neus (Saint Mary of the Snows), the Patron Saint of the island.