World Heritage Sites : Mérida

Overview

At the beginning of the second century BC troops and Roman columns from the Roman province of Bética (Andalucía) arrived in what is today the region of Extremadura, with the intention of annexing new territory for the Republic of Rome. Although there was fierce resistance from the vetones (people of Celtic origin who occupied this territory at that time) and the lusitanos (the Lusitanians, thought to be direct ancestors of the Portuguese people), the Roman armies succeeded in advancing as far as the north side of the River Tagus. In 25BC the new province of Lusitania was created in Hispania (the name for the Roman provinces of Spain and Portugal) and the capital was Augusta Emérita - the city we know today as Mérida.

The Roman Emperor at the time was Octavio Augustus and he founded Mérida as a town to house veteran Roman soldiers. Its position was very strategic - surrounded by fertile valleys, easy to defend and on the Calzada de la Plata Way which crossed Hispania from north to south and also a junction on other main routes that went to Lisbon, Cordoba and Zaragoza. It was for centuries and until the fall of the Roman Empire an important judicial, economic, military and cultural centre. Mérida’s role as the provincial capital necessitated the building of monuments and much of this architecture, thanks to years of excavation and painstaking rehabilitation, has survived the intervening two thousand years. The Archaeological Ensemble was declared a World Heritage Site in 1993 by UNESCO and is described by UNESCO as follows:

The colony of Augusta Emerita, which became present-day Mérida in Estremadura, was founded in 25 B.C. at the end of the Spanish Campaign and was the capital of Lusitania. The well-preserved remains of the old city include, in particular, a large bridge over the Guadiana, an amphitheatre, a theatre, a vast circus and an exceptional water-supply system. It is an excellent example of a provincial Roman capital during the empire and in the years afterwards.

The Teatro Romano, Anfiteatro, and Casa Romana are open daily 9am - 13:30pm and 5pm – 7.15pm. They can all be visited on one combined ticket (which also includes entrance to the Alcazaba fortress) costing €6. Entrance just to the Theatre and Amphitheatre costs €4.50.

The Roman Bridge

The Puente Romano spans the River Guadiana, has 60 arches (of which only 7 are 15th Century replacements) and is 792 metres long and 12 metres high. It was built at the same time the city was founded - around 25BC. It was closed to traffic in 1993 when the new bridge, the Lusitania, was opened.

The Roman Theatre

The Teatro Romano - together with the Amphitheatre – makes up an entertainment complex for the Roman veterans. It is also Mérida’s most symbolic and visited monument. It was built in the same period as Emérita was founded and was probably inaugurated in 16 or 15BC. It was constructed on the orders of Marcus Agrippa – the same person responsible for the Pantheon in Rome. It is one of the best preserved Roman theatres in the world and one of only two in Europe where the back wall remains intact; the colonnaded stage has also survived.

It was in use up until the second half of the 4th Century and used to hold 6,000 people. Today it’s the only monument that is still used for what it was originally designed for - the Festival of Classic Theatre began here in 1933 and takes place in July and the beginning of August every year. Built into the hillside and with excellent acoustics, Greek plays and Shakespearean Roman tragedies are performed here on the same stage that has been used for 2,000 years. The link below gives you a virtual tour.
http://www.iespana.es/paseovirtual/Merida/teatro.htm

The Roman Amphitheatre

The amphitheatre, which is close to the theatre, was mainly used for gladiators to fight wild animals. This was inaugurated in 8BC and held 14,000 people. It has 16 entrances, two stands and two boxes. At the centre of the arena is the pit, which was probably covered with boarding and was where the caged animals were kept. Seating depended on social class – the most important people sat at the bottom and in general the higher up you sat the lower your social status.

The National Museum of Roman Art

El Museo Nacional de Arte Romano was opened in 1986. It is the work of the architect Rafael Moneo Vallés and is itself considered a modern architectural masterpiece. The museum is built over the ruins of Roman houses and tombs and there is a subterranean tunnel that links it to the theatre and amphitheatre opposite. It’s possible to visit the crypts underneath the museum, where you can see the remains of several Roman villas and a necropolis, uncovered when the museum was being built. The Museum is very informative and well-organised, narrating the history of the city and giving you an idea of daily life in the Roman colony. There are more than 36,000 artefacts, all of which were found locally.

Address c/ Jose Ramon Melida, s/n
Opening Times
Tuesday – Saturday: 10am – 2pm; 4pm – 6pm (5pm – 7pm June – September)
Sundays and Bank holidays: 10am – 2pm
Closed on Sundays and 1st Jan; 1st May; 15th Aug; 3rd, 8th Sept; 13th Oct; 6, 8, 10, 25th Dec
Price Adults €2.40; Children Free
Free on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings

The circus or hippodrome

El circo or hipódromo built in the 1st Century AD held 30,000 spectators and was one of the biggest in the Roman world (although not quite as big as the most famous one – The Circus Maximus in Rome which could hold up to 250,000 people!). A fence, measuring 233 metres, ran down the middle - called a Spine - to make laps. The chariots were pulled by horses and the drivers completed the circuits at breakneck speeds. It required a lot of skill and not surprisingly there were often fatal accidents, involving drivers being trampled to death.

Water supply system

The Miracle Aqueduct (El Acueducto de los Milagros) was erected to transport water from the Proserpina reservoir to the city. Its construction was started during the reign of Augustus, at the time the city itself was founded (end of 1st Century BC), but wasn’t touched again until the 3rd Century. The system was originally covered in marble that is, sadly, no longer present on the structure. It is 830 metres long and 25 metres high. Tourists have commented on how beautiful the effect of the granite and brick structure is - particularly in spring when it’s decorated with storks!

Only three pillars remain of the San Lázaro or Rabo de Buey Aqueduct which originally measured 1600 metres; longer than the Miracle Aqueduct. This was used to collect water from surrounding streams and springs for transport to Mérida.

Two original Roman reservoirs can be visited from Mérida; Proserpina and Cornalvo, both built at the same time as the city, and still in perfect condition today. Five kilometres away the Proserpina reservoir has a circumference of 5 km and has the original dam intact, as has the Cornalvo reservoir, 16km from Mérida, which also still has its water control tower and part of the original channels which delivered the water.

The Mithreaum

The Casa de Mitreo is so called because it is built on the site thought to be originally a temple to the ancient Roman religion known as the Mithraic mysteries. This mystery religion was very secretive about its teaching and practices with the result that little is known for sure about it today. It is however a fascinating subject, as it emerged at the same time as Christianity and therefore probably had an interrelationship which might have shaped the birth and development of Christianity. According to the Mithraic scholar, David Ulansey, there were many hundreds - perhaps thousands - of Mithraic temples in the Roman Empire and Roman soldiers made up a major segment of the cult's membership. The following link takes you to an essay on The Cosmic Mysteries of Mithras.
http://www.well.com/user/davidu/mithras.html

The remains of this grand Roman residence give you an idea of a well-off Roman household – there is a series of rooms, hallways, gardens, kitchen, living area, patios and pools. Of particular interest are its painted murals and mosaics, the best example of which is the Mosaico Cosmológico – one of the most interesting and attractive from this era.
Address c/ Oviedo (behind the bullring)

Other Monuments

The Fortress
Although on the site of a Roman fortress (strategically placed just by the Roman bridge over the River Guadiana), La Alcazaba was built in the 9th century by the Moors to defend the city against uprisings. Today it’s mainly used for archeological digs and an area to house all the mosaics and other finds from all over the city.
Address c/ Graciano (just off the Roman bridge)
Opening times
All week – 9am -1.45pm; 4pm – 6.15pm

Trajan’s Arch
The Arco de Trajano (a triumphal arch) is in the centre of Mérida, where the C/Trajano meets Obispo y Arco. It is 15 metres high and probably used to be covered in marble.

The Temple of Diana
El Templo de Diana, built at the end of the 1st century BC and beginning of the following, is in the very centre of Mérida. In the 16th century it was incorporated into a Renaissance-style mansion (Palacio de los Corbos), but has recently been excavated to stand separately.
Address c/ Romero Leal

Basílica de Santa Eulalia
A National Monument; the remains of the martyr Saint Eulalia (also patron saint of Merida) are buried here.

La casa del Anfiteatro
The remains of a Roman villa close to the Amphitheatre, dating from the 3rd or 4th Century; has an excellent mosaic of the goddess Venus with Eros and another of a grape harvest scene.

With thanks to Ceferino López for his permission to use his photos of the amphitheatre, the theatre and the Milagros aqueduct.
With thanks to Miguel Macías for writing this guide