Note: Mérida, located in the province of Badajoz and the autonomous community of Extremadura, was founded by Romans in 25 BCE as Augusta Emerita. It was the capital of the Roman province Lusitania that encompassed modern Portugal. Mérida flourished under Visigoths in the 7th century and was later occupied by Moors in 713. In 1228, Alfonso IX took over Mérida and gave it to the Knights of Santiago. Roman ruins include temples, bridges, theater, circus, and aqueduct. Mérida's economy is based on agricultural trade and tourism.