Memoria arqueológica y social de dos escenarios romanosEl teatro y el anfiteatro de Mérida (1910-1936)

Laburpena

The imposing presence in the landscape of Mérida of the complex formed by two magnificent buildings Roman shows, theater and amphitheater, was not lost along the centuries. They were visited by multiple travelers and curious, are described by authors as Antonio de Nebrija or Larra and drawn by Laborde or Doré (Morán 2009). There were some timid attempts to excavate the site during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries under the Academies of History and Fine Arts of San Fernando ; but it was in 1910 when the first archaeological excavations were performed, conducted by José Ramón Mélida and Maximiliano Macías. In the last century they have undergone multiple interventions and works, not only archaeological but also restoration that have shaped his gradual transformation to the monumental image we have today. Along with morphological changes, and following a plan from the beginning of the archaeological work of JR Mélida and M. Macias, occurs a social recovery of these spaces as specified in the reactivation of the functions for which they were conceived: the leisure and propaganda. This work address these issues in depth in order to present the key points that make this archaeological and social memory that underlies the flagship ensemble of archaeological and architectural heritage of Extremadura: the romans theater and amphitheater of Mérida.