About 15 minutes outside of Sevilla, we arrived at the archaeological site and started our tour. First, we walked around the ruins of the city that had been unearthed. The site is nearly 2000 years old. Some of the mosaic floors that have been unearthed are absolutely amazing. We were able to see the foundations of a number of houses, public buildings, roads and baths. Some of the marble and pieces of the mosaics were stolen between the time that the site first started being unearthed and becoming an officially protected government archaeological site but there is a lot still there.
In addition to the columns, statues, and fancy floors - there were some more "practical" ruins - things like the bases of ovens and bathrooms.
There were also some grates in the ground allowing visitors to see the waterways running below - one pipe was visible - it was made of lead - not the best way to distribute water, but at the time, not knowing the health implications, they used lead in all kinds of things - including make-up - yikes.
It is still an active site - tents and tools are visible. Using technology, it is known that there are still LOTS of ruins underground. But, now that the project is protected - new areas will only be unearthed as there is sufficient funding to excavate, restore, and protect. There are also believed to be ruins under many of the homes, roads, and businesses in the area - but of course those ruins are not part of the projected work.
Our next stop within the site was the amphitheater. Built with three levels (one and a half still standing today), it would hold up to 25,000 people. The main theater was interesting, but I really liked the maze of tunnels and walkways that ran throughout - the animal run, the winner's exit, the loser's exit, the waiting rooms, the service corridors - it was an amazingly complicated structure.
It was nice to have a guide who could point out lots of the details - and to remind us to look down at some of the carvings on the ground stones.
Our final stop in the site was the "visitor center" that was full both of informational posters, a movie, lots of cool photos, and some special finds from the site.
After spending a couple of hours walking around the site, it was time to head across town to the monastery. The history of the monastery is not straightforward. Although it served as a monastery, the building has also had many other "lives" including some time as a women's prison. Many of the pieces of art were destroyed or painted over due to the Spanish Inquisition. But, there are lots of interesting things that have been preserved or restored.
The patron family still owns the building - it serves as the crypt for their family - and the newest member buried there was in 2017. So, although this is no longer an active monastery - it is also not just a tourist site.
After the monastery visit, it was time to head back to Sevilla. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home. After a late lunch, and a little Spanish, it was a very mellow evening with a little basketball.
