Roman Theatre of Mérida

About this place

Built in 16–15 BCE under the patronage of Agrippa, this theatre served the Roman city of Emerita Augusta. Later alterations enriched its stage architecture. The surviving seating and reconstructed stage front help you imagine public entertainment in the capital of Roman Lusitania. The theatre belonged to an entertainment complex that also included an amphitheatre. These were different kinds of venues, reminding visitors that Roman leisure took several forms. The theatre's later renovations and eventual burial under earth add another chapter to its story, before excavation returned the monument to public view.