Travel Stories >> Spain >> Merida

MERIDA...the Romans arrived

When I lived in Spain, in Salamanca in the early 1980s, two of my roommates, Juani Hernandez, and Fini Benitez were from Extremadura, specifically, Merida. I spent a number of long weekends in Merida...wandering the tiny, narrow, hilly streets at night, breathing in the warm June air, heavy with the smell of jasmine. My friends had grown up with the tremendous Roman ruins underfoot and paid them little mind. They were proud to have come from such a great historical city but they were more interested in showing a 22 year old friend the best tapas bars and clubs in town. Merida exists in such a compact space (although for the last few years, prosperity has permitted its expansion to banal whitewashed suburbs all around the core) that I once mused aloud whether those who lived in the center ever found a roman coin in their basements. "You must be kidding!" exclaimed Juani. She and Fini went on at great length to explain that the extent of Merida's REAL Roman treasure was not displayed anywhere but kept inside private homes on bookshelves and in cabinets. People quickly learned in Merida that if you found a column, a mosaic, coins, glass or any other roman treasure it was to be kept a family secret. Once the secret was out - it could be, in fact, ruinous! The government would come in, pay off the family to move, take down the building and dig... and the neighbors? Look out! So in fact, much of Merida's finest treasures are living amongst its current inhabitants who appreciate it for what it is and what it could do if it fell into the wrong hands!!

Although the Romans found all of Spain to be a wonderful location for their empire's growth and settlement, neither Leon or Zaragoza was to Roman Iberia what Merida was. Originally called Lusitania, in the year 23BC, Merida was formally founded and called Augusta Emerita (Augusta after the great emperor and Emerita after the legions of old Roman soldiers who retired here), and later called Merida by the Moors. Merida served Rome in two manners, as a retirement colony for generals and other high ranking Roman army officers and as an administrative center. It was well situated between the Guadiana River and the Albarregas River and was the site of the junction between the major routes between Salamanca and Sevilla and Toledo and Lisbon. The Romans poured luxury into this seniors playground and built a lavish theater, amphitheater, racecourse, circus grounds, aqueducts, and extensive and serious infrastructural and living quarters. In the modern day museum there is ample indication that the Romans of Merida were an important asset to the administration of Roman colonies in France and Northern Africa.

In the Roman times the location of this city tied together the Roman colonies of the Betica (Andalucia), their Portuguese territories, and the coastal regions of what is today modern Spain. Some say it was the center of the wheel with spokes out to all corners of Iberia. The Romans were, as Fini so indelicately describes, the plunderers of culture - stealing art, music, and philosophies from the Greeks. The Romans were also great warriors, architects, and engineers. For 2000 years Merida used the sturdy Roman bridge that spans the Guadiana River. Eight years ago the government of Spain decided to build a new bridge to ease the use and traffic and other stresses on the old bridge. Last year when a large construction company needed to bring lots of heavy equipment into town - engineers did tests on both the bridges and it was unanimously decided that the Roman Bridge could tolerate the weight - at the same time no one was putting his money down on the new bridge.

The ruins of the lavish Theater, Amphitheater and Circus grounds tell us a great deal about the class of Roman who lived here and the extent of their activities. The Circus held 30,000, the Amphitheater (where they even stages naval battles!) held 15,000. All the tales of Roman gladiators and Christians fighting lions - they come alive in Merida - they existed in Merida. One can spend a number of days in Merida and see something spectacular at every corner. Even if you are not a big Roman history fan - the sheer age of the mosaics, the surprising quality of the ruins, and the volume of remains - are impressive.

MUSEUMS / SITES

One of the best ways to see all there is to see in Merida - is to buy a 750 peseta ($5.00) multi-use entrance ticket. This general "entrada" will get you into the Theater/Amphitheater area, the ruins of the House of the Amphitheater, the Church of Santa Eulalia, the Alcazaba, and the Casa de Mitreo. There are no entrance fees for the Aqueducts (of course) or the Temple of Diana (which cannot be entered due to the excavations taking place around it. And the Museum entrance is a negligible 400pts ($2.95) and well worth it.

Restaurants/Bars

It is probably a good idea to remember that Extremadura is home to much of the fine jamon (ham) serrano that one finds in the good bars and restaurants all over Spain. Also worth trying - locally - is the gazpacho soup (cold tomato based - great in the summer), and recipes with cordero (lamb), conejo (rabbit), and pescado del rio (river fish).

El Borroso (good pork loin)
c/ Santa Eulalia

Meson del Emperador (good local dishes)
Plaza Santa Clara

Rufino (for tapas)
Plaza Santa Clara, 2

Copyright © by Rachel Peterson

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