click highlighted hovered text for more info, see

Merida UNESCO world heritage sites

Merida west

Los Milagros Aqueduct on Av. Vía de la Plata
Only a relatively small stretch of the aqueduct still stands, consisting of 38 arched pillars standing 25 metres (82 ft) high along a course of some 830 metres (2,720 ft). It is constructed from opus mixtum - granite ashlar blocks interspersed with red brick - utilising a double arcade arrangement. The structure originally brought water to the city from a reservoir called the Lago de Proserpina, fed by a stream called Las Pardillas, around 5 km (3.1 mi) to the north-west of Merida.

Roman Wall and Albarrana Islamic Tower at Calle Arzobispo Mausona, 6
All component parts of the Archaeological Ensemble form a single whole as they preserve the main elements of the Roman colony, above which other monuments from the Visigoth or Muslim era were built, thus evidencing the amalgamation of different periods in history.

Trajan Arch at Calle Trajano, 6A
The Trajan Arch of Merida is part of UNESCO’s Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida and is believed to have been a triumphal arch to the Hispanic Emperor Trajan. However, this has been cast into doubt and historians now think it may have been the entry gate to the nearby Temple of Diana.

Santa Clara Church at Calle Sta. Julia, 1
The old church of Santa Clara was formerly a convent of the Clarisas nuns, who started the works in 1602, but it was not auctioned until well into the seventeenth century. The convent became a private residence and the church was used as a warehouse, school, theater and museum, which is the use that today keeps being the headquarters of the Visigothic Collection.

Roman Bridge at Paseo Roma, 1A
It is the world's longest (in terms of distance) surviving bridge from ancient times, having once featured an estimated overall length of 755 m with 62 spans. Today, there are 60 spans (three of which are buried on the southern bank) on a length of 721 m between the abutments. Including the approaches, the structure totals 790 m.

Temple of Diana at Calle Sta. Catalina, 7
The rectangular base of the building, is surrounded by columns (peripteros) and hexastyle temple (with six front facing columns). Elevated on a base. The columns capitals are Corinthian, with a long shaft and made of granite.

Roman Forum on Calle Sagasta
It was the main public area of the Roman city of Emerita Augusta, founded in 25 BC by Emperor Augustus.

Roman House of the Mitreo on Calle Oviedo
The house consists of three peristyles or courtyards with columns around which the residence is organised. The rooms are decorated with high quality mosaics and mural paintings. The most important mosaic is the Cosmic one which represents Heaven, Earth and the sea. The house in general is extraordinarily beautiful.

Merida east

Roman Theatre on Plaza Margarita Xirgu
It was constructed in the years 16 to 15 B.C.E. One of the most famous and visited landmarks in Spain, the Roman Theatre of Mérida is regarded as a Spanish cultural icon and was chosen as one of the 12 Treasures of Spain.

National Museum of Roman Art on Calle de Jose Ramon MelidaCalle de Jose Ramon Melida
Devoted to Roman art, it exhibits extensive material from the archaeological ensemble of Mérida (the Roman colony of Augusta Emerita), one of the largest and most extensive archaeological sites in Spain.

Roman Thermal Complex at Calle Reyes Huertas, 1
This thermal complex was built in the 1st century AD and remained operational until late 4th century.

Santa Eulalia Obelisc at Plaza Joan Miro, 2
Santa Eulalia de Merida ( Augusta Emerita in 292 - Augusta Emerita December 10, 304 ) was a Christian saint who suffered martyrdom in the city of Augusta Emerita, now Merida , under the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. The news of the life and martyrdom of the Saint Emerite was quickly expanded by the Roman Empire, making the city one of the most important pilgrimage goals of Western Europe during the high Middle Ages.

Basilica of Santa Eulalia + remains of Temple of Mars at Av. Extremadura, 11
According to the researchers, it was the first Christian temple erected in Hispania after the Peace of Emperor Constantine; this church was therefore built as a martyrial basilica in memory of Eulalia de Mérida; for that reason it became, during the dawn of the Average Age, in place of peregrinations that arrived from the European West and from the North of Africa.

Roman Circus on calle Jose Ramon Melida
Merida's circus remains very well preserved. As is true with the Circus Maximus, most circuses's structures have been destroyed over time as the area occupied by them was great and often in very flat land near their respective cities. The Merida circus however has kept numerous structures, including the Porta Pompae ("main entrance"), the Porta Triumphalis ("triumph gate"), the spina (the longitudinal wall), the tribunal iudicium ("tribune of the judges").

San Lázaro Aqueduct at Av. de Juan Carlos I
This aqueduct allowed covering the Albarregas valley with a network of channels that brought water coming from underground springs and streams located north of the city and it is still completely preserved in most of its stretches.

Merida outskirts

Thermal Baths at Calle Banos, 58, Alange
They are medicinal thermal baths. The Roman building is rectangular and two circular vaulted chambers can be found, one for women and one for men. In the centre of the chambers are the pools, which are also circular. The vaults in the chambers are hemispherical with skylights in the centre.

Alcantarilla Bridge at Cuesta Circunvalacion, 1
Merida preserves an architecture that reflects its former role as capital in Roman and later eras.

Proserpina Dam at Av. del Lago 2, Urbanizacion de Proserpina
The Proserpina Dam is a Roman gravity dam in Badajoz (province), Extremadura, Spain, dating to the 1st or 2nd century AD. It was built as part of the infrastructure which supplied the city of Emerita Augusta with water.

Casa Herrera Basilica at Trujillanos
Its decorative richness and the surface of its plan suggest that it must have been a large religious center that served a large population scattered throughout the countryside.

Cornalvo Dam on Crta. Trujillanos, Campomanes
The Cornalvo Dam is a Roman gravity dam in Badajoz province, Extremadura, Spain, dating to the 1st or 2nd century AD. The earth dam with stone cladding on the water face is still in use.