Roman Theatre

You’re now arriving at Merida’s most significant archaeological site. If you visit only one place here, make it this one. You won’t see much from the outside, so we highly recommend buying a ticket to explore the spectacular ruins of the Roman amphitheatre and theatre of ancient Augusta Emerita. If you’re considering visiting another site in the city, go for the combined ticket, it gives you access to all the main archaeological sites and is well worth it. This complex was built at the end of the 1st century BC, when Augusta Emerita was the capital of the Roman province of Lusitania. Such a prestigious city needed a grand space for public entertainment, so plans were made for both a theatre and an amphitheatre. The amphitheatre, inaugurated in 8 BC, was built for the famous Roman games. It could hold up to 15,000 spectators, who would gather to watch gladiator duels, wild animal hunts, or beasts fighting each other. The shows took place on a massive wooden platform in the arena, often transformed with elaborate scenery into forests, deserts, or jungles. The stands included vomitoria, clever vaulted passageways that made it easy for people to enter and exit. The amphitheatre was abandoned and forgotten in the 4th century, until it was rediscovered in the 20th century. The theatre, meanwhile, was commissioned by local politicians. Even though Romans preferred blood sports to drama, theatre served a political purpose. The grandeur of its buildings helped spread Roman propaganda and gave officials a literal platform to communicate messages to the people. The project was led by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, a powerful general and close friend of Julius Caesar. Built in 15 BC, the theatre could seat around 6,000 spectators. That may not sound like much, but it was a huge venue for a society where theatre wasn’t all that popular. The stage featured a raised platform backed by a towering 30-metre-high wall, designed for maximum visual impact. That wall was richly decorated with statues of gods and emperors. Like the amphitheatre, the theatre was abandoned in the 4th century. As Christianity spread, theatre was seen as immoral and the circus as downright barbaric. This makes sense considering Christians were martyred there... The theatre was partially dismantled, buried over time, and the land reused by locals as farmland. People even grew potatoes there! Only the top of the seating area remained visible, and locals called it “las siete sillas”, the seven chairs, without knowing what lay beneath. Excavations began in 1910, and slowly the theatre was brought back to the spotlight. By 1933, it had become a stage once again and, ever since, it’s hosted the Merida International Classical Theatre Festival, one of the biggest and most prestigious festivals of its kind in the world. The site was declared of national interest in 1912 and added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993. Feel free to go in and explore it. If you want to dive even deeper into this incredible era, make sure to visit the National Museum of Roman Art, located behind you.