Mérida, Spain

November 14-16

Merida is the capital of the autonomous community of Extremadura.  An autonomous community is much like in the US referring to an individual state within the region such as ‘New England’ contains Maine. We stayed in a Parador which is a fancy hotel within a historic building such as a monastery of castle.  This hotel was an 18^th century convent built on top of the remains of a temple. Merida is most known for its Roman monuments.  As a group, these monuments were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. Merida was founded in 25 BC as a Roman colony and within a few years became the capital of the Roman province of Lusitania. The first monument we visited was the Arch of Trajan which is thought to be an entrance gate to a monumental ensemble constructed in the period of Tiberius (AD 14-34). Next we visited the Alcazaba, built in 835 AD, that was an Islamic military fortress.  It was built upon the ‘Puerte del Puente’ main entrance to the Roman city, Roman housing, and a section of Roman wall reinforced in the Visigoth era. The Roman areas were excavated more recently as each successive culture built upon their predecessor.  My favorite feature was the cistern.  It pulled water from the river through the river gravels past a dike built by the Romans.  It was accessible by a staircase underground and was surprisingly spacious. Next was the Guadiana bridge that is built out of granite and concrete. After three additions the bridge was 800 meters long making it the longest bridge in the empire. It was open to cars until 1991 when the Luistania Bridge was finished.  Next we went to the Augusta Emerita amphitheater and theater.  The amphitheater was inaugurated in 8 BC and holds 15,000 spectators.  This would typically hold gladiator fights and sometimes include animals. There are over 15 different types of gladiators that are distinguished by their equipment and style of fighting.  The different fights were matched with the different types of fighters.  There are two main groups of being heavily armored or light armor to be able to move with more agility. The theater is classic Vitrivuan style set into a low hill.  There are two columbaria (family tombs) with the first at the museum and second below the Basilica de Santa Eualia church. Lastly, we visited the Circus that was mostly used for horse races. It was one of the largest in the Roman world.  This is a very fascinating city.  What amazes me most is how much the Romans mastered water and water control. We also drove over to Trujillo to check out more Extremadura countryside. Trujillo has several historic features which we only visited two. In the Plaza Mayor there is an equestrian statue of Francisco Pizarro who was one of the conquerors of Peru. Also on the Plaza is the church of Santa María built in the thirteenth century.