Sights in Mérida
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Alcazaba
This large Muslim fort was built in AD 835 on a site already occupied by the Romans and Visigoths. Down below, its aljibe (cistern) incorporates marble and stone slabs with Visigothic decoration that were recycled by the Muslims, while the ramparts look out over the Guadiana and down into the Alcazaba's gardens. The 15th-century monastery in its northeast corner now serves as the Junta de Extremadura's presidential offices.
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Teatro Romano
The Teatro Romano, built around 15 BC to seat 6000 spectators and set in lovely gardens, has a dramatic and well-preserved two-tier backdrop of Corinthian stone columns; the stage’s facade (scaenae frons) was inaugurated in AD 105. The only Roman building in Mérida to be used for its original purpose, the theatre hosts performances during the Festival del Teatro Clásico in summer.
reviewed
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Circo Romano
Northeast of the amphitheatre are the remains of the 1st-century Circo Romano, the only surviving hippodrome of its kind in Spain, which could accommodate 30,000 spectators. Inside you can see brief footage in Spanish about Diocles, a champion auriga (chariot racer) who served his apprenticeship in Mérida before going on to the big league in Rome.
reviewed
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Circo RomanoR
Remains of the 1st-century Circo Romano, the only surviving hippodrome of its kind in Spain, which could accommodate 30,000 spectators. Inside you can see brief footage in Spanish about Diocles, a champion auriga (chariot racer) who served his apprenticeship in Mérida before going on to the big league in Rome.
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Casa del Mitreo
The Casa del Mitreo is a 2nd-century Roman house with several intricate mosaics (especially the partial but beautiful remains of the mosaico cosmológico, with its allegories and bright colours) and a well-preserved fresco.
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Museo Nacional de Arte Romano
On no account miss this fabulous museum, which has a superb collection of statues, mosaics, frescoes, coins and other Roman artefacts. Designed by the architect Rafael Moneo, the soaring brick structure makes a remarkable home for the collection.
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Templo de Diana
The Templo de Diana stood in the municipal forum, where the city government was based. Parts were incorporated into a 16th-century mansion, built within it, and it now stands surrounded by modern Mérida along a quiet street. The restored Pórtico del Foro, the municipal forum's portico, is just along the road.
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Centro de Interpretación Las VII Sillas
The Centro de Interpretación Las VII Sillas has the remains of a noble mansion and a sizeable hunk of Roman, Visigothic and Arab wall. A 13-minute DVD in Spanish takes you on a virtual tour of the Roman city.
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Puente Romano
Don't miss the extraordinarily powerful spectacle over the Río Guadiana of the Puente Romano, which, at 792m in length with 60 granite arches, is one of the longest bridges built by the Romans. There are good views from the altogether more modern Puente Lusitania, a sleek suspension bridge designed by the famed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava away to the northwest.
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Museo de Arte Visigodo
Many of the Visigothic objects unearthed in Mérida are exhibited in this museum, just off Plaza de España. It's a fascinating insight into a little-known period of Spanish history.
reviewed
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Acueducto de Los Milagros
Further west, the Acueducto de Los Milagros, highly favoured by nesting storks, once supplied the Roman city with water from the dam at Lago Proserpina, about 5km out of town.
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Arco de Trajano
The 15m-high Arco de Trajano over Calle de Trajano may have served as the entrance to the provincial forum, from where Lusitania province was governed.
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Moorish quarter
This excavated Moorish quarter contains the remains of a cemetery, walls and houses dating from Roman to post-Islamic times.
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Zona Arqueológica de Morería
This excavated Moorish quarter contains the remains of a cemetery, walls and houses dating from Roman to post-Islamic times.
reviewed
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Pórtico del Foro
The restored Pórtico del Foro, the municipal forum's portico, is just along the road from the Templo de Diana.
reviewed
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Basílica de Santa Eulalia
Built in the 5th century in honour of Mérida's patron saint, the basilica was reconstructed in the 13th century. Beside it, a museum and excavated areas enable you to identify Roman houses, a 4th-century Christian cemetery and the original 5th-century church.
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O
Los Columbarios
Los Columbarios is a Roman funeral site, well documented in Spanish and illustrated. A footpath connects it with the Casa del Mitreo, a 2nd-century Roman house with several intricate mosaics (especially the partial but beautiful remains of the mosaico cosmológico, with its allegories and bright colours) and a well-preserved fresco.
reviewed
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Teatro Romano
The Teatro Romano, built around 15 BC to seat 6000 spectators and set in lovely gardens, has a dramatic and well-preserved two-tier backdrop of Corinthian stone columns; the stage's facade (scaenae frons) was inaugurated in AD 105. The only Roman building in Mérida to be used for its original purpose, the theatre hosts performances during the Festival del Teatro Clásico in summer. The adjoining Anfiteatro, opened in 8 BC for gladiatorial contests, had a capacity of 14,000. Outside the main gate, the Casa del Anfiteatro, the remains of a 3rd-century mansion, has some reasonable floor mosaics.
reviewed
