Mérida shares its cathedral status with Badajoz — the two cities are co-seats of the archdiocese — and Santa María la Mayor is the older and more modest of the pair. A Visigothic basilica stood on the site, then a mosque, then a thirteenth-century Romanesque-Gothic church, much rebuilt over the centuries. The granite tower and west portal are the most photogenic exterior features.
The plain interior holds a sixteenth-century altarpiece, a few good Renaissance tombs, and one or two re-used Roman columns hiding among the piers — the recycling of the city's classical past runs all the way through its religious architecture. The plaza outside is the most pleasant café-terrace spot in the old town and a good place to pause between Roman sites.