Mérida, Spain

The place name of Mérida derives from the Latin Emerita, with a meaning of retired or veteran. It is part of the name that the city received after its foundation by the emperor Augustus in 25 BC, Augusta Emerita, colony in which veteran soldiers or emeritus settled.

Mérida has been populated since prehistoric times, as demonstrated by a prestigious hoard of gold jewellery excavated from a girl's grave in 1870. Consisting of two penannular bracelets, an armlet, and a chain of six spiral wire rings, the hoard is now preserved at the British Museum.[https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx?place=35933&plaA=35933-3-1 British Museum Collection]

The town was founded in 25 BC under the name Emerita Augusta (meaning "veterans of Augustus"), by order of Emperor Augustus, to settle discharged soldiers of the V Alaudae and X Gemina. Established to guard a strategic pass and the Guadiana river bridge, it quickly became one of the most important cities in Roman Hispania. It was the capital of the Lusitania province and later, in the 4th century, served as the capital of the Diocese of Hispania.

Emerita Augusta was also a terminus of the Vía de la Plata (Silver Way), a key Roman route connecting the gold mines near Asturica Augusta with the south of the Iberian Peninsula. Mérida preserves more major Roman monuments than any other city in Spain, including a triumphal arch and the Roman theatre.

Jewish historical tradition, as recorded in Abraham ibn Daud's Sefer ha-Qabbala (a 12th-century source) holds that a group of noble Jewish exiles arrived in Mérida following the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. One of these exiles, Baruch, a silk craftsman, is described as the progenitor of the influential Albalia family of medieval Córdoba.{{Citation |last=Prats |first=Arturo |title=Merida |work=Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World Online |url=https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EJIO/COM-0015100.xml |access-date=2025-06-14 |publisher=Brill |language=en |doi=10.1163/1878-9781_ejiw_com_0015100|url-access=subscription }}

In 409, during the invasion of Iberia, the city became the capital of the short-lived Kingdom of the Alans under King Attaces. His death in 418 in battle against the Visigoths led to the city's absorption into the neighboring Vandal kingdom. In 469, it was taken by the Visigoths and remained an important city in the Visigothic Kingdom.

In 713, Mérida was conquered by the Umayyad Caliphate under Musa ibn Nusayr and became the capital of the Cora of Mérida. The Arabs reused and expanded many Roman buildings, notably the Alcazaba fortress. In the 9th century, the Mozarabs of Mérida frequently rebelled against the Caliphate, contributing to the city’s gradual decline. During the Fitna of al-Andalus, Mérida became part of the Taifa of Badajoz.

In the early 13th century, under Almohad control, Mérida supported the rival leader Ibn Hud. In 1230, it was conquered by Alfonso IX of León and returned to Christian rule. The city then became the seat of the priory of San Marcos de León of the Order of Santiago. A period of recovery began in the 15th century following the unification of the crowns of Aragon and Castile, aided by Alonso de Cárdenas, Grand Master of the Order.

In 1720, Mérida became the capital of the Intendencia of Mérida. The city is also located along the Vía de la Plata route of the Camino de Santiago, offering an alternative to the more widely known French Way.

During the Napoleonic Wars, many of Mérida’s historic monuments were damaged or destroyed. In the aftermath, the city developed as a railway hub and underwent significant industrialization.

On 10 August 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, Mérida was captured by Nationalist forces in the Battle of Mérida.Beevor, Antony. (2006). The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939. Penguin Books. London. p. 120

In modern times, Mérida became the capital of the autonomous community of Extremadura in 1983. It also serves as the ecclesiastical seat of the Archdiocese of Mérida-Badajoz. The city's archaeological site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

The current mayor (since 2015) is Antonio Rodríguez Osuna of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party.

Mérida has a Mediterranean climate with Atlantic influences (Köppen: Csa; Trewartha: Csak), due to the proximity of the Portuguese coast.{{Cite web |last=Meteorología |first=Agencia Estatal de |title=Valores climatológicos normales - Agencia Estatal de Meteorología - AEMET. Gobierno de España |url=https://www.aemet.es/es/serviciosclimaticos/datosclimatologicos/valoresclimatologicos |access-date=2024-05-13 |website=www.aemet.es |language=es}} The winters are mild, with minimum temperature rarely below {{convert|0|°C|0|abbr=on}}, and summers are hot with maximum temperatures occasionally exceeding {{convert|40|°C|0|abbr=on}}.

Precipitation is normally between {{convert|300|and|400|mm|1|abbr=on}} annually. The months with most rainfall are November and December. Summers are dry, and in Mérida, as in the rest of southern Spain, cycles of drought are common, ranging in duration from 2 to 5 years.

In autumn the climate is more changeable than in the rest of the year. Storms occur with some frequency, but the weather is often dry.

Both humidity and winds are low. However, there is frequent fog, especially in the central months of autumn and winter.{{Weather box

|location = Mérida
WMO ID: 08331; Climate ID: 4410X; coordinates {{coordinates|38|54|57|N|06|23|08|W}}; elevation: {{cvt|228|m}}; (1991–2020), extremes (1989–present){{cite web

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|title = Weather station data

|website = opendata.aemet.es

|publisher = AEMET OpenData

|language = es

|access-date = 13 November 2024

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|archive-date = 2024-11-13}}

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|Jan record high C = 23.4

|Feb record high C = 25.3

|Mar record high C = 30.6

|Apr record high C = 36.9

|May record high C = 39.4

|Jun record high C = 44.0

|Jul record high C = 44.8

|Aug record high C = 46.4

|Sep record high C = 44.7

|Oct record high C = 36.6

|Nov record high C = 27.3

|Dec record high C = 22.6

|year record high C = 46.4

|Jan high C = 14.3

|Feb high C = 16.1

|Mar high C = 19.8

|Apr high C = 22.4

|May high C = 26.8

|Jun high C = 32.3

|Jul high C = 35.0

|Aug high C = 35.3

|Sep high C = 31.1

|Oct high C = 25.2

|Nov high C = 18.6

|Dec high C = 14.8

|year high C = 24.3

|Jan mean C = 9.0

|Feb mean C = 10.3

|Mar mean C = 13.3

|Apr mean C = 15.6

|May mean C = 19.4

|Jun mean C = 24.1

|Jul mean C = 26.1

|Aug mean C = 26.6

|Sep mean C = 23.3

|Oct mean C = 18.7

|Nov mean C = 12.9

|Dec mean C = 9.8

|year mean C = 17.4

|Jan low C = 3.7

|Feb low C = 4.3

|Mar low C = 6.7

|Apr low C = 8.9

|May low C = 12.0

|Jun low C = 15.8

|Jul low C = 17.2

|Aug low C = 17.8

|Sep low C = 15.4

|Oct low C = 12.1

|Nov low C = 7.2

|Dec low C = 4.7

|year low C = 10.5

|Jan record low C = -10.0

|Feb record low C = -6.9

|Mar record low C = -4.9

|Apr record low C = 1.0

|May record low C = 2.3

|Jun record low C = 8.0

|Jul record low C = 11.0

|Aug record low C = 10.2

|Sep record low C = 8.8

|Oct record low C = 2.7

|Nov record low C = -1.7

|Dec record low C = -4.7

|year record low C = -10.0

|precipitation color = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 44.8

|Feb precipitation mm = 37.0

|Mar precipitation mm = 40.8

|Apr precipitation mm = 36.7

|May precipitation mm = 31.0

|Jun precipitation mm = 8.5

|Jul precipitation mm = 4.2

|Aug precipitation mm = 5.9

|Sep precipitation mm = 19.2

|Oct precipitation mm = 60.8

|Nov precipitation mm = 51.1

|Dec precipitation mm = 41.6

|year precipitation mm = 381.7

|unit precipitation days = 1 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 6.4

|Feb precipitation days = 5.7

|Mar precipitation days = 6.0

|Apr precipitation days = 6.4

|May precipitation days = 4.8

|Jun precipitation days = 1.3

|Jul precipitation days = 0.5

|Aug precipitation days = 0.9

|Sep precipitation days = 2.6

|Oct precipitation days = 6.4

|Nov precipitation days = 7.1

|Dec precipitation days = 6.0

|year precipitation days =

|Jan humidity = 80

|Feb humidity = 70

|Mar humidity = 65

|Apr humidity = 62

|May humidity = 53

|Jun humidity = 48

|Jul humidity = 47

|Aug humidity = 46

|Sep humidity = 52

|Oct humidity = 64

|Nov humidity = 75

|Dec humidity = 81

|year humidity = 62

|daily = Y

|source 1 = Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (AEMET OpenData){{cite web

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|date = December 2023

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Each year the city holds a week-long event to celebrate the Roman history of the area. The "games" (lvdica) include scheduled events throughout the city during the day and into Mérida's comfortable evenings. They include parades, brightly-costumed attendees, fiercely-armored gladiators, mock battles in the ancient amphitheater, plus some simulation of the daily life in that period. The schedule is roughly the last week of May until the first weekend in June and should be checked in advance by visiting the city's schedule of events page.{{Cite web |title=Emerita Lvdica » Turismo Mérida |url=https://turismomerida.org/emerita-lvdica-eng/ |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=Turismo Mérida |language=en-US}}

{{Main|Emerita Augusta}}

Among the remaining Roman monuments are:

File:Mérida - Puente romano sobre el Guadiana - DSC 2172 W.jpg]]

The Puente Romano, a bridge over the Guadiana River that is still used by pedestrians, and the longest of all existing Roman bridges.{{harvnb|O'Connor|1993|pp=106–107}}. Annexed is a fortification (the Alcazaba), built by the Muslim emir Abd ar-Rahman II in 835 on the Roman walls and Roman-Visigothic edifices in the area. The court houses Roman mosaics, while underground is a Visigothic cistern.

• remains of the Forum, including the Temple of Diana, and of the Roman Provincial Forum, including the so-called Arch of Trajan
• remains of the Circus Maximus (1st century BC), one of the best preserved Roman circus buildings

File:Acueducto "Los Milagros" Mérida (Badajoz, España).jpg]]

• Acueducto de los Milagros (aqueduct of Miracles)
• patrician villa called the Villa Mitreo, with precious mosaic pavements
• Proserpina Dam and Cornalvo Dam, two Roman reservoirs still in use
• 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 set in ancient times.
• Morerías archaeological site
• National Museum of Roman Art designed by Rafael Moneo
• Church of Santa Eulalia, dating to the 4th century but rebuilt in the 13th century. Its portico reuses parts of an ancient temple of Mars.

File:Templo de Diana en Mérida.jpg

Other sights include:

• Cathedral of Saint Mary Major (13th-14th centuries)
• Renaissance Ayuntamiento (Town Hall)
• Church of Santa Clara (17th century)
• Gothic church of Nuestra Señora de la Antigua (15th-16th centuries)
• Baroque church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen (18th century)

Several notable buildings were built more recently, including the Escuela de la Administración Pública (Public Administration College), the Consejerías y Asamblea de Junta de Extremadura (councils and parliament of Extremadura), the Agencía de la Vivienda de Extremadura (Housing Agency of Extremadura), the Biblioteca del Estado (State Library), the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones (auditorium), the Factoría de Ocio y Creación Joven (cultural and leisure center for youth), the Complejo Cultural Hernán Cortés (cultural centre), the Ciudad Deportiva (sports city), the Universidad de Mérida (Mérida University), the Confederación Hidrografica del Guadiana (Guadiana Hydrographic Confederation designed by Rafael Moneo), the Lusitania Bridge over the Guadiana River designed by Santiago Calatrava), the Palacio de Justicia (Justice Hall), etc.

AD Mérida is the principal football team of the city, founded in 2013 as a successor to Mérida UD, which itself was a successor to CP Mérida. The last of these teams played two seasons in Spain's top division, La Liga, in the late 1990s.

All three clubs played at the city's 14,600-capacity Estadio Romano. On 9 September 2009, it hosted the Spanish national team as they defeated Estonia 3–0 to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which they went on to win. Mayor of Mérida Ángel Calle said, "We want to use the Estonia match to promote Mérida and Extremadura, we will welcome the players as if they were 21st-century gladiators."{{cite news|last=Rogers|first=Iain|title=Spain's '21st century gladiators' do Merida proud|url=http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2009/09/10/spains-21st-century-gladiators-do-merida-proud/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090915195531/http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2009/09/10/spains-21st-century-gladiators-do-merida-proud/|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 September 2009|access-date=24 January 2014|newspaper=Reuters|date=10 September 2009}}

{{Refimprove section|date=February 2015}}

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Spain}}

Mérida is twinned with:

• Mérida, Mexico
• Mérida, Venezuela

• Emerita Augusta, Roman buildings in Mérida
• Battle of Valverde (1385)
• List of municipalities in Badajoz

File:Mérida - Letras 1.jpg|Mérida Letter Art

File:Teatro Romano. Mérida (España).JPG|Roman Amphitheater panorama

File:Mérida (1984) 05.jpg|Roman Amphitheater closer view

File:J29 320 Amphitheater Mérida, Hauptzugang.jpg|Roman Amphitheater entrance arch

File:J29 319 Amphitheater Mérida, Zugang.jpg|Seating and entrances to Roman Amphitheater

File:J29 321 Mérida, römisches Theater.jpg|Roman Amphitheater from different angle

File:Ceres Teatro Romano Mérida - panoramio.jpg|Statue of Ceres in Roman Amphitheater

File:Ceres of Mérida (cropped).jpg|Closeup of the statue of Ceres in the Roman Amphitheater

File:Mérida - Teatro - 02.jpg|Statues lining the Roman Theater

File:Mérida - Anfiteatro - 02 - Panorámica.jpg|Panorama of the Roman Amphitheater

File:Mérida (1984) 14.jpg|Details of mosaic tile pattern in the Roman Theater

File:Teatro de Mérida, España, 2017 10.jpg|Detail of Roman Columns from the Roman Theater

File:Mérida 2015 10 17 1588 (24164079070).jpg|Cornerstone dedicating the Roman Amphitheater in 8 BC for use in gladiatorial contests and staged beast-hunts

File:Mérida - Templo de Diana - 02 edited.jpg|Temple of Diana

File:Templo de Diana (Mérida).jpg|Temple of Diana

File:J29 269 Bf Mérida, Acueducto de los Milagros.jpg|Roman Aqueduct

File:Puente Romano de Mérida, España.jpg|Roman Bridge

File:Puente romano de Mérida.jpg|Roman Bridge in Merida

File:Spain-Merida-Spain-Merida-Puente Romano-P1170557 (25592981670).jpg|Roman Bridge

File:J29 252 Mérida, Ermita de la Antigua.jpg|Ancient Hermitage

File:Spain-Merida-Spain-Merida-Puente Romano-P1250189 (25893548645).jpg|Roman Bridge

File:Portada tardorrománica de Santa Eulalia, Mérida (15790991169).jpg|Late Romanesque Portal to Santa Eulalia Church

File:Mérida - Arco de Trajano 3.jpg|Trajan's Arch

File:Mérida - Monumento a Octavio Augusto 03.jpg|Monument to Octavian Augustus, for whom Augusta Emerita was named

File:Mérida - Basílica romano cristiana - DSC 2112 W.jpg|Roman Christian Basilica

File:Mérida. The Capitoline She-Wolf. Badajoz. Extremadura. Spain (4921150035).jpg|Copy of the Roman Capitoline She-Wolf

File:Mérida (1984) 03.jpg|Entrances to the Arena

File:Mérida - Monumento a Marco Agrippa 3.jpg|Monument to Marcus Agrippa

File:Mérida - Plaza de España - 02.jpg|Spain Square, Mérida

File:Mérida - Palacio de la China 02.jpg|Chinese Palace

File:MNAR (Mérida) Exterior 01.jpg|Exterior of Merida Museum

File:Cantimplora, Mérida (16811193209).jpg|Roman ceramic canteen

File:Convento de Jesús Nazareno, Mérida. Patio.jpg|Patio of the Jesus of Nazareth Convent

File:Mérida - Estatua ecuestre de Augusto 2.jpg|Equestrian Statue of Augustus Caesar

File:Mérida - Estatua ecuestre de Augusto 4.jpg|Closeup of Equestrian Statue of Augustus Caesar

File:Mérida - Alcazaba - 01.JPG|Alcazaba (Cistern) Mérida

File:Mérida - Alcazaba - 06 - Panorama.jpg|Panorama of Merida's Alcazaba

File:Mérida - Plaza de la Constitución 1.jpg|Plaza de la Constitución

File:Mérida - Palacio de Congresos 3.jpg|Mérida's Congress Palace

File:Parador de Mérida 4.jpg|Parador de Mérida

File:Hotel Mérida Palace.jpg|Hotel Mérida Palace

File:Dinosaurio Mérida Museo.jpg|Dinosaur Museum

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• {{citation

| last = O'Connor

| first = Colin

| title = Roman Bridges

| publisher = Cambridge University Press

| year = 1993

| isbn = 0-521-39326-4

| pages = 106–107

}}

{{commons|Mérida (Spain)}}

{{EB1911 Poster|Mérida (Spain)}}

• {{Official website|http://www.merida.es/}}
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20061020113736/http://www.museoromano.com/ Roman Art National Museum]}}
• [https://www.livius.org/a/spain/merida/emerita.html Pictures of Roman Mérida]
• [http://musique09.free.fr/espagne_new2/thumbnails.php?album=71&lang=english Photos of Mérida: Roman monuments and other views of the city]

{{Autonomous Community capitals of Spain}}

{{List of European capitals by region}}

{{Municipalities in Badajoz}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Merida, Spain}}

Category:Municipalities in the Province of Badajoz

Category:Roman towns and cities in Spain

Category:25 BC establishments

Category:20s BC establishments in the Roman Empire

Category:1st-century BC establishments in Spain

Category:1st century BC in Hispania

Category:Establishments in Spain in the Roman era