Proserpina quarry 2

Archaeological research has identified several granite extraction areas in the territory of Mérida, among them the one called Proserpina, in the Sierra de Carija beside the reservoir of the same name. These quarries, worked open-cast on surface granite outcrops, supplied the standardised ashlars (average height 40–44.5 cm) used in the great monuments of Augusta Emerita: the theatre, the amphitheatre, the Los Milagros aqueduct and other public buildings. The site was chosen for its proximity to good-quality granite and for the existence of routes to the city. The recorded extraction methods include slots for trapezoidal wedges that took advantage of the natural fractures of the granite, as well as stepped working faces in some places. Remains of outcrops with extraction marks typologically comparable to those preserved on the floor of the Proserpina dam have also been recorded in the area. The site is part of the Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993. (Location approximate.)