Mérida, with about 60,000 inhabitants, is the capital of the region of Extremadura, on the Guadiana river. It has Spain's most important group of Roman monuments, a UNESCO site since 1993. See also ancient art in Spain.
History
Founded in 25 BC by Emperor Augustus as a colony for veterans of the Cantabrian wars, Augusta Emerita became the capital of the province of Lusitania, one of the largest and richest cities on the peninsula. In Visigothic times it was an important religious centre; it then passed to the Muslims, who built the Alcazaba, and was taken by the Christians in 1230.
What to see
- The Roman theatre, built in 16-15 BC, with its extraordinary two-tier stage of marble columns and statues, one of the best-preserved Roman theatres in the world.
- The amphitheatre, next to the theatre, where gladiator fights and animal hunts took place.
- The National Museum of Roman Art, designed by Rafael Moneo, whose great brick arches house mosaics, statues and everyday objects.
- The Roman bridge over the Guadiana, about 790 metres long, one of the longest of antiquity.
- The temple of Diana, actually devoted to the imperial cult, in the city centre.
- The Aqueduct of Miracles, with tall granite and brick arches.
- The Roman circus, the Arch of Trajan and the House of the Mithraeum with its mosaics.
- The Alcazaba, a 9th-century Arab fortress with a cistern.
- The basilica of Santa Eulalia, dedicated to the city's martyr patron.
A combined ticket covers the main monuments.
The Classical Theatre Festival
Since 1933 the Roman theatre has hosted the International Classical Theatre Festival, Spain's oldest, staging Greek and Latin tragedies and comedies under the stars every summer, between July and August.
Food
Extremadura cuisine: Iberian ham, Torta del Casar, migas, lamb caldereta and Ribera del Guadiana wines.
Getting there
Mérida has trains to Madrid, Seville and Badajoz, about 60 km away, and buses to Seville in about two and a half hours. See also Cáceres and Trujillo.