The Archaeological Museum of Los Baños in Alhama de Murcia

The Museo Arqueológico Los Baños in Alhama de Murcia was established as an archaeological center in 2005 and became a museum in 2008. It is part of the Region of Murcia's museum system, with the goal of protecting and conserving archaeological remains that span more than 2000 years. The site features an integrated complex consisting of a modern building, a garden space, and the ancient architectural complex.

The museum is divided into four main areas: the Roman world, the Roman baths, the Islamic baths, and the 19th-century Hotel Balneario. Visitors can view a mosaic from a Roman domus dating to the end of the 1st century AD, which features black and white tesserae simulating a spinning mill. This mosaic was found during excavations of the square of the Church of San Lázaro Obispo, along with polychrome mural paintings.

The Roman baths were built at the foot of the castle to utilize a natural hot spring. These thermae served as a place for leisure and medicinal bathing, with separate complexes for men and women. During the Islamic period, the baths were also used for medicinal and religious purposes. The name Alhama itself means 'natural bath of hot waters'.

The 19th-century Hotel Balneario was built in 1848 and featured eclectic and classist architecture across three floors. During the second half of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century, it was modernized to attract bathers from other parts of the country. Its popularity eventually declined in the 1930s following the closure of the spring.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons