We Were Not As Amped By The Amphitheatre, But It's Still A Sight to See

Right next to the Theatre of Merida is the Amphitheatre of Merida, which was completed in the year 8 BC.  It was used for gladiator fights, combat between beasts, and combat between beasts and men.

The city, named Emerita Augusta, was founded in 25 BC by Augustus as a place for emeritus soldiers honorably discharged from the Roman army.  It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, even if it isn't the star attraction.

It's pretty big, and could hold as many as 15,000 spectators, or nearly 6,000 more than Cameron Indoor Stadium, the cathedral home of Duke basketball.

The center of the amphitheatre had a huge hole covered by wood and sand and was used to release animals into the arena.

The remains of at least 230 Roman amphitheatres have been found around the Roman Empire.

(The theatre are semicircular structures, while the amphitheatres are bigger, circular or oval.)

We did not spend nearly as much time gawking at the amphitheatre, but obviously we had to go to it.

As you can tell, the grandstands

of the amphitheater are in

rough shape.

A good look at the huge pit that

held the beasts to be released

into the fights.