Emerita Augusta Site Features

The ruins of Emerita Augusta are surprisingly complete, giving visitors a clear indication of how a Roman city was planned. The impressive theater complex is one of Spain's most important archaeological monuments and was built by Augustus's right-hand man Agrippa in 16 BC.

The theater was joined by an amphitheater in 8 BC, which played host to gladiatorial combat and spectacles of warriors and slaves fighting imported beasts such as lions. The city also had a circus, built earlier in 20 BC, that was used for chariot and horse racing. Designed as a clone of Rome's Circus Maximus, it was the largest building in the city and sat just outside the defensive walls.

Only a portion of one of the city's aqueducts still stands today – the Acueducto de los Milagros. Religion had a prominent daily role in the city, and visitors can still marvel at the remains of the Temple of Diana, which dates from the 1st Century BC.

Visitors can also enjoy the National Museum of Roman Art, which is part of the Merida site and houses treasures from the various archaeological digs in the area.