75 years since the accidental discovery of Malaga's Roman Theatre

The Roman Theatre in Malaga is one of the most visited monuments in Andalucía: almost half a million visitors each year. This 2,000-year-old structure remained hidden for centuries in the heart of the Costa del Sol capital.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the discovery: a chance find that occurred in mid-June of 1951.

How were these remains discovered? In the digital archives of SUR, subscribers can find the article published on 14 June 1951, titled: 'A Roman entrance to the city discovered'.

The first thing workers found was a vault, which appeared to be "a Roman-era entrance to Malaga, with very well-preserved marble pavement", as architect Enrique Atencia said at the time.

Atencia highlighted the value of the find and reported that Juan Temboury was preparing a detailed report of everything discovered.

The remains appeared during the construction of gardens on Calle Alcazabilla, next to the Alcazaba and the Palacio de Archivos, Bibliotecas y Museos, better known as Casa de la Cultura (House of Culture).

As SUR reported: "Groundworks were under way to create a garden where the entrance facade of the former Casa de Larios, the building that once stood on the Alameda before it was demolished, was to be installed."

According to historical accounts, these weren't the first Roman remains found in the area around Calle Alcazabilla, but previous discoveries were either hidden or dismissed as unimportant at the time.

However, the discovery of that entrance, which was actually a side access to the theatre, proved decisive in continuing the excavations. By August, a series of stepped terraces had been found, confirming that it wasn't a gate in the Roman city wall.

Disagreements between various institutions plagued the Roman Theatre for decades, leading to periods of neglect and oblivion. It wasn't until the 1990s that the demolition of the House of Culture was approved, which allowed for the restoration of the monument.

The Roman Theatre opened to the public on 27 October 2003, coinciding with the opening of the Museo Picasso Málaga.

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