History and Legacy of the Vía de la Plata
The Vía de la Plata is not just a path; it is one of the greatest arteries in the history of the Iberian Peninsula. Originally conceived as a North-South Roman Road, its route linked the monumental cities of Augusta Emerita (Mérida) and Asturica Augusta (Astorga). However, its name holds a paradox: despite what the word “plata” (silver) suggests, this route was never used for the trade of this precious metal. Its current designation is, in reality, the result of a phonetic confusion over the centuries. During the Muslim presence, the road was known as al-Balat (“the paved path”). Over time, popular speech transformed the word into the Spanish term we know today. Nevertheless, another hypothesis links the name to the late Latin via Delapidata, which referred to a paved road marked with milestones.
The exact origin of this corridor is lost to time, but under the Roman Empire, it established itself as an invaluable axis of communication. This great infrastructure and its natural extensions ultimately seamlessly connected the Cantabrian coast with the southern lands of the peninsula. Along its stones circulated not only goods and legions, but also the language, laws, and customs that Romanized the territory, while simultaneously facilitating Rome’s administrative control.
In the Middle Ages, it became a space of frontier, trade, and coexistence between Christian and Muslim cultures. Following the Reconquista, it served as a Jacobean pilgrimage route from the south toward Santiago de Compostela.
A Coruña. The glass city
Today, travelers can still walk upon the visible remains of the primitive road, whose layout has been rescued by archaeology. The milestones—large columns that not only marked distances but also served as propaganda for the emperors who funded the works—are perfectly preserved. Notably, those marking the first twenty-six miles from Mérida to the ancient mansio Ad Sorores stand out, as do the final sections connecting Salmantica (Salamanca) with Astorga, a city beyond which no milestone belonging to this road has ever been documented.
Traveling the Vía de la Plata today means contemplating the imposing ruins of Mérida and Astorga, marveling at the Roman arch of Cáparra in Guijo de Granadilla, or imagining military life in the camps of Castra Cecilia and Castra Servilia in Cáceres. The path also invites you to discover the Roman fort of La Calzada de Béjar, the mausoleum of Fuente Buena in Calzada de Valdunciel, Roman villas such as Torreáguila in Montijo, or the Cáceres archaeological sites of Cuarto Roble and El Junquillo. Even the wellness of the era has left its mark in the thermal baths of Baños de Montemayor, one of the towns that, along with Monesterio and Mérida, now houses an Interpretation Centre to help modern visitors decipher the secrets of the route.
Currently, the Vía de la Plata unfolds as a geographical tapestry that traverses four autonomous communities from south to north. It begins its journey in the heart of Andalusia, in Sevillian lands marked by Santiponce and Carmona, before entering the Extremaduran landscapes of Badajoz and Cáceres through historic towns such as Fuente de Cantos, Zafra, Mérida, Casar de Cáceres, Plasencia, and Hervás. Crossing the mountain pass, the route embraces Castile and León, journeying through the heritage of Béjar, Guijuelo, Zamora, Benavente, and León, before culminating its northern stretch in the Principality of Asturias, where the basins and valleys of Lena, Mieres, Morcín, or Llanera guide the traveler’s steps to the sea, at the gates of Gijón. An eternal journey that, two thousand years later, continues to unite cultures with every step.
