Serra de Portopí gained historical significance in 1229 when King James II of Aragon crossed it with his troops, and regained Palma for Spain from the occupying Moors.

In present day, Portopí refers to a neighborhood located in the district west of Palma de Mallorca.

The later name, Serra de Na Burguesa, honors Francesc Burgués, the Solicitor-General of the Spanish Crown,[2] who, from the early sixteenth century, owned the Bendinat farm at the foot of the mountain.

The mountain's average height is approximately 400 m (1,300 ft) above sea level, characterized by a low range of hills and steep-sided valleys.

Until the early twentieth century, summer grazing herds could be found in the Coll dels Pastors 443 m (1,453 ft), the mountain's central highlands.