It was founded in the year 25 BC, with the name of Emerita Augusta (the name Mérida is a corruption of this) by order of Emperor Augustus, to protect a pass and a bridge over the Guadiana river. Two veteran legions were the former settlers: V Alaudae and X Gémina. The city became the capital of Lusitaniaprovince, and one of the most important cities in the Roman empire. Mérida preserves more important ancient Roman monuments than any other city in Spain; because of this, the "Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida" is a World Heritage site.
Sights
Among the remaining Roman monuments are the Puente Romano, a bridge over the Guadiana river that is still used by pedestrians; an important fortification to defend the bridge, lately used by Arabs, called Alcazaba; the Temple of Diana; the remains of the Forum, including the Arch of Trajan; the remains of the Circus Maximus; the Acueducto de los Milagros (aqueduct); a villa called the Mitreo; the Embalse de Proserpina and Cornalvo reservoirs; the Circus, the Amphitheatre and the Roman Theatre where a summer festival of Classical theatre is presented, usually with versions of Greco-Roman classics or modern plays located in ancient times. One can also visit the Morerías archaeological site and many others all around the city, and watch digging in progress, as well as the Museo Nacional de Arte Romano.
Miscellaneous
The city of Mérida in Yucatán, Mexico, was named after Mérida in Spain.
As soon as one disembarks at the international airport of Merida, one is ungulfed by the warm air of this land between the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico and the perfumes of spices and of tropical fruits and flowers.
Merida was known as the “white city” due to the whiteness that covered the façades of its buildings.
Merida is a city with a great cultural patrimony regardless that a great part of its pre-Hispanic, colonial, and modern architecture has been lost due to lack of protection and fiscal responsibility.
The lingering, "decline of Spain" after a long period of considerable growth of population was due in large part, ironically, to its spectacular successes in the 15th and 16th centuries that led to the centuries of the treasure fleets.
Spain is bound to the east by Mediterranean Sea (containing the Balearic Islands), to the north by the Bay of Biscay and to its west by the Atlantic Ocean, where the Canary Islands off the African coast are found.
Spain became a unified crown with the union of Castile and Aragon and the conquest of Granada in January 1492, and the annexation of Navarre in 1515.
Feeds |
Contact