Mérida, city in western Spain, in the province of Badajoz in Extremadura. It lies on a hill overlooking the Guadiana River from the north, at an elevation of 195 m (640 ft) above sea level, 53 km (33 mi) east of Badajoz. After a period of decline, Mérida recently became the focus of an extensive regional development and resettlement project along the Guadiana. Known as the Badajoz Plan, this project gave rise to many new industries, including meat packing and the processing of wool, cotton, tobacco, cork, and food.
Mérida was founded by the Romans as Augusta Emerita early in the first century AD, and its ground plan plainly shows its Roman origin as a rectangular camp. The city was the capital of the ancient region of Lusitania and one of the prominent cities of the Iberian Peninsula—some observers even called it “the Rome of Spain." In 713 it fell to the Moors, who preserved it as the capital of successive, often independent states. It was conquered by King Alfonso IX of León in 1228 and later handed over to the Knights of Santiago, under whom the city declined to relative insignificance. Mérida suffered considerably during the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815). El Conventual, built by the Moors as their Alcazar (castle) and made into a convent by the Knights of Santiago, is an important monument, as is the granite Roman bridge, which is supported by 64 arches that spans the Guadiana. The bridge, probably built by Emperor Augustus, was later restored by the Visigoths and Philip III. Also of note are the Roman forum and two aqueducts north of town, the San Lázaro and the Milagros, and, to the southeast, the remains of a circus, an amphitheater, and a theater. There are also remainders of Roman walls, temples, reservoirs, sewers, mausoleums, and other works, including two arches. Population (1998 estimate) 50,471.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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