Mérida had more than one aqueduct, and the one that gets less attention has a certain modest appeal. San Lázaro is a Roman water channel whose surviving piers, built of granite blocks and bands of brick, cross open ground on the edge of the modern city, and it was part of the network that fed the baths, fountains and houses of the colony. It is easier to appreciate if you have already seen its bigger cousin, Los Milagros. While that one is tall and showy, San Lázaro is low and workmanlike, a reminder that the Romans built water systems as everyday infrastructure rather than as monuments.
The name probably comes from a later hermitage of Saint Lazarus nearby, which tells you something about how the Romans' work was reused and renamed over the centuries. In some places the arches were patched with medieval brick, and in others they were simply left to stand while the town grew around them. White storks nest on the top of the piers in spring, a sight that has become a symbol of the city, and their bills clatter in the mornings like castanets. The surrounding land is flat and dry, with fields of cereals, olive groves and patches of scrub.
For a rider, this is an easy place to find, since it lies close to the edge of town, with a road alongside and space to park a bike. The country roads beyond are straight and quiet, with little to disturb you except occasional tractors and cyclists. The wind comes across the plain without any obstruction and can be steady in the afternoons. The heat of high summer is real, with temperatures often above forty degrees in July and August, so it is best to visit in the morning. Late spring and early autumn are the most comfortable seasons.
Mérida's size, with more than fifty thousand inhabitants, means that fuel stations and supermarkets are no more than a few minutes away, with Calamonte offering further options. If you want something cold, bars near the old market serve tapas of cheese and ham with chilled drinks. The smell of the place is dry grass, dust and warm brick, and the light in the early evening is especially kind to the old arches. Walk along the line of the piers and imagine the water running down the channel on top.