This often overlooked Spanish city is rich in ancient treasures, and the skeleton of a 5th-century predator has been found in its ruins.

In its heyday in the first century AD, the Roman Empire covered parts of three continents, starting from Britain in the north, Egypt in the south, Syria in the east, and Portugal in the west. Among the more than 600 sites known to archaeologists, few have a more complete and more complicated understanding of ancient Roman life than the honorary site of Augusta in Merida, Spain.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site is located in the Autonomous Region of Extremadura in southwestern Spain. This area is mainly rural and famous for its hot summers, dry crops and the production of Iberian ham. Merida's lack of popularity-it is rarely compared to Rome or Pompeii-it makes up for the scope of its Roman structure. About 75 acres of land in a modern city are scattered with all the defining elements of an ancient metropolis: water conservancy projects, bridges, forums, theaters, amphitheaters, circuses, residences and cemeteries.

"Merida today offers a complete practical course of classical archeology," said Trinidad Nogales Basarrate, curator of the city's National Roman Art Museum. The largest house in the ancient city underwent an impressive restoration in 2020 — and the continued focus on balancing tourism and historical preservation — means that travelers have new reasons to explore one of Spain’s oldest settlements.

Augusta Emerita was established by the Roman Emperor Augustus in 25 BC as a soldier or honorary colony who retired during the Cantabrian War. The location near the Guadiana River is ideal, in the valley between the sloping forest and the Encina tree fields, the bark of which has long been used to produce cork. Augustus named Merida the capital of Lusitania, a province that straddles the present-day border of Portugal and Spain. 

It also became the center of royal worship that worshiped the emperor as a god. Evidence of Roman rulers as a deity movement includes the masked bust of Augustus as Pope Maximus or the highest religious authority, and the erroneously named Temple of Diana in the city center. The latter—probably built during the reign of Augustus—is actually an imperial sacrificial temple, rising from a tall granite podium, with a crumbling tympanum pointing to the sky.

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In the heyday of the first and second centuries, Merida attracted a population of 40,000 people from as far away as Asia Minor. Before the Moorish occupation in the eighth century, it was still a strategic fortress and administrative capital. But by the time Christianity reconquered in the 12th century, the city had become a footnote to history. Many "immoral" buildings were backfilled to make way for agriculture and new construction.

There are many other Roman sites outside of Italy, including neighboring Portugal, Morocco, and France. Marco Mangut, a tour guide in Extremadura, said: "In it, you might have an amphitheater, a bathhouse, or an aqueduct." "But find theaters, amphitheaters, and circuses." Missions-the top three buildings in the game-are extremely rare, except in Rome."

Famous ancient buildings in Merida, Spain’s least populated and least visited area, are relatively easy to unearth. "If you go to Rome, the difference between the modern horizon and the ancient land is about 10 meters. In Merida, it's even less than half. You can dig a trench for a new fiber optic cable and hit some Roman ruins," Toronto York University Professor of Roman History and Classical Studies, Si muero, no me olvides (When I Die, don’t forget me), it examines the social life of Augusta’s reputation through funeral inscriptions.

In this modern city, visitors will stumble upon more than 30 monuments, ranging from Rome to Christianity, all managed by the memorial city Merida consortium. Regular archaeological discoveries and conservation projects mean that there is always something new to see. 

The recently reopened amphitheater is the largest ancient house in the town and showcases the lives of wealthy Romans. A new 4,000-square-foot, fully barrier-free steel passage winds through the structure, with glass-floored platforms above the corridors and living spaces. The project also built a roof to protect the house from the strong sunlight of Extremadura.

“The amphitheater represents one of the most unique examples of residential suburbs in Rome. They are dotted in the landscape around Augusta’s honorary city walls,” said Raquel Nodar Becerra of the consortium, who oversaw the restoration together with the architect María López .

The amphitheater is the largest Roman residence in the city, with 7,000 square feet of faded colored mosaics depicting the gods, nature, and everyday life. The best-preserved restaurant floor is decorated with scenes of Venus and Cupid, surrounded by dense vegetation, and three men stepping on grapes and birds picking on the vines.

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These stone mosaics are not only decorative; they provide clues about who lives here and what they look like, just like the Augustine Architectural Digest. In Mithraeum House, half a mile from the amphitheater, brightly colored cosmic mosaics use mythological figures to show the celestial, earth, and ocean fields and their elements, such as wind and water. "This shows that the owner of that house has some very interesting intellectual interests," Edmundson said.

The Roman theater and amphitheater in Mérida are the second leg of the "triangle" formed with the amphitheater and are also well preserved. The stone benches of the amphitheater, some of them eroded with the passage of time, surround the arena where the gladiators fight. The theater has a columnar stage once decorated with sculptures and a three-level seating system suitable for different social classes in the city. According to Mangut, these pillars are so precious that archaeologists in the early 1900s discovered the skeletons of 5th-century marauders, holding ropes in their hands and fixing them to the fallen spoils. When the ceiling collapsed, they were trapped. .

The third leg of the triangle is the National Museum of Roman Art, which has classical-style arcades and high arches, exhibiting an explanatory exhibition about Roman culture and approximately 3,000 artifacts (50,000 in total). These include glass, coins, and large stone medallions with Medusa's head inscribed.

Nearby, the city’s large circus held 30,000 spectators for ceremonial parades and chariot races, some of which featured Gaius Appuleius Diocles as the protagonist. In his two-year career, the chariot's income was equivalent to Hyundai's 15 billion U.S. dollars, which made him the highest paid athlete in history.

From the circus, you can reach three of the four aqueducts within a short walk, which carry water from nearby springs and reservoirs to the entire city. The 80-foot-tall Miracle Aqueduct is the best-preserved, with a graceful arc of granite ashlar, brick, and concrete that stretches for half a mile.

Near the river bend, the Roman bridge spans Guadiana. For the best photos, climb to the top of the 9th-century Moorish fortress Alcazaba and capture this century-old bridge with the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava in the distance The modern sculpture Lusitania Bridge (Lusitania Bridge) juxtaposed.

Adjacent to Alcazaba, between the residential buildings on the Roman Avenue, is the archeological area of ​​Morerias. It retains the largest Roman wall in the city, as well as an urban layout featuring houses and streets.

The sustainable and modern use of these ancient spaces, as well as their protection and research, are the main goals and challenges of Merida today. For example, the Roman Theatre is the venue of the Summer International Classical Theatre Festival, where famous Spanish actors stage Greek and Roman classics. The amphitheater is the backdrop for the annual Catholic Holy Week ceremony. For Emerita Lvdica, this is a reenactment of autumn history on steroids. Local performers and residents dressed in Roman costumes recreate scenes from everyday life, including gladiatorial games, funerals, and markets selling crafts and food.

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Activities such as these and daily travel have brought much-needed funds for conservation work and at the same time caused wear and tear on the structure-the 22nd record of protecting the world is not limited to Merida. Environmental damage is also a problem, from extreme weather events to the growth of biofilms and lichens that can degrade stones.

Under the modern city, there is an ancient city sleeping. Whenever a new construction is carried out in Merida, the archaeologists of the consortium are always ready to record any ruins found. The goal is to launch an interactive digital map of the city, where visitors can click on buildings or streets and learn about its Roman past.

Once recorded, these ancient buildings are sometimes integrated into city life—just like in the case of two apartment buildings, their basements have ancient foundations behind glass walls. Other discoveries, such as Roman mosaics unearthed while working on busy modern streets, have been re-covered—a poignant example of the unremitting advancement of time and humanity’s desire for remembrance.

The residents of Merida responded calmly. "We understand that the city should continue to develop," Mangut said. "Although we want everything to be visible forever, it is impossible. It is amazing to have such a vibrant city with new discoveries every year. We are trying to coexist between preservation and new life in Rome." 

Robin Catalano is a travel writer in the Hudson Valley, specializing in the northeastern United States. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

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