Merida is currently the administrative and institutional center of the province of Extremadura, and it is a cultural and tourist reference because it has well preserved a two thousand year- heritage of what once was the capital of the province of Lusitania, Augusta Emerita, one of the most important cities of Roman Hispania.
Its important archeological ensemble is an evidence of that past, with the Roman Theatre and Amphitheater, which every year hosts the prestigious and world-renowned Classical Theatre Festival of Merida.
Moreover, it has preserved the legacy of the different civilizations and cultures that have been part of it, and that´s why it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993.