Merida

Merida is the capital of Extremadura, and was the capital of the Roman province of Lusitania.

The town protected the bridge over the Guadiana river on the Via de la Plata, the road connecting the Asurica Augusta mine with the Roman Empire.

The city fell to the Visigoths and then to the Umayyads, who built the Alcazaba next to the Roman bridge.

Merida also had some nice Christmas lights.

Merida's bull fighting ring

Merida is full of mosaics.

Paint is still intact from this Roman house.

Merida was founded in 25 BC and called Emerita Augusta, meaning veterans of Augustus's army.

Merida's amphitheater was built in 8 BC

Gladiators fought each other and beasts inside.

The amphitheater could seat up to 15,000 people.

Merida's theater was built in 15 B.C.

The theater was remodeled by Trajan in the 2nd century and Constantine I in the 4th century.

The National Museum of Roman Art is not to be missed.

Interesting

Bullfighting was controversial in Roman Hispania because they were also worshiped as deities.

A statue of the eastern god Zervan Chronos.

Not a bad place to live!

A representation of the Guadiana and Albarregas rivers running through Merida.

A painting from the ampitheater

A 4th century mosaic

A 3rd century relief

Victorious charioteers from the 4th century

The museum is built over an entire Roman block of houses

The Roman forum

This temple was erected for the Imperial cult, but archeologists misidentified it when it was first found, so it's called the Temple of Diana. This was common in Merida.

Traces of the Visigoths can also be found in Merida.

Roman writing was far more neat than this Visigothic writing from the 6th century...