Medellín

Before the Romans arrived, the site was already old. Archaeological work on a pre-Roman necropolis here has turned up substantial material from the Tartessian period, leading researchers to identify the settlement with Conisturgis, capital of the Conii people, which was later destroyed by the Lusitanians.

The Roman town, Metellinum, was founded around 79 BC by the consul Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius, who gave it his name. The degree of Roman occupation was considerable. Remains of a Roman bridge survive — later replaced by a medieval one — along with traces of Roman villas scattered through the Guadiana valley and an unexcavated forum on the lower slopes of the castle hill. A mosaic found at a site called Las Galaperas, about two kilometres north of town and decorated with geometric patterns, dates from the late Roman period. Roads connecting Mérida to Toledo passed close by, with a branch crossing the Guadiana here toward Córdoba, which underlines how central Medellín was to the regional network.

The Roman theatre is the most significant monument. Sitting on the southern slope of the castle hill, it could hold around 3,200 spectators. Excavations begun in 2007 have revealed the structure of the seating tiers and stage, along with decorative elements including opus sectile paving and sculptural pieces. The construction dates to the late Republican or early Augustan period, with later modifications in the Claudian era. Though the seating is exceptionally well preserved, the outer perimeter wall has suffered serious erosion from rainwater runoff. Restoration work, funded jointly by the national and regional governments at a cost of just over 167,000 euros, covers roughly 2,950 square metres and focuses on stabilising the slope and consolidating the masonry.

Through the Visigothic period, the town retained its importance, its strategic position on the Guadiana keeping it relevant long after the Roman administration had gone.

The Roman theatre on the castle hill has been under active excavation since 2007. Above it stands the Castillo de Medellín. The medieval bridge crossing the Guadiana has twenty arches and a small commemorative chapel at its centre.

The church of Santiago, built across the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, now serves as an interpretation centre for the archaeological site; San Martín dates from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries; and the parish church of Santa Cecilia is from the eighteenth. The façades of the Palacio de los Portocarrero and the Convento de San Agustín, both sixteenth-century, are also worth seeking out, as is the Torre del Reloj, a surviving tower from the old town gate. The central square, Plaza de Hernán Cortés, holds a statue of the conquistador by sculptor Eduardo Barrón, completed in 1890.