The Roman funeral Way that is located in what is now Plaça de la Vila de Madrid was initially a minor road which connected the colony of Barcinom now the district of Sarrià. The road reached the southern gate of Cardo maximus, and was lined on either side with many different funeral monuments: altars, steles and especially cupae—semicircular grave markers that resemble wooden barrels. The burial area was in use from the 1st to the 3rd centuries CE, though with the passing of time it was completely covered over by river sediments that helped in its preservation. Inside the archaeological area, a display space has been set up where visitors can see objects that have been found on the site. The display also explains Barcino's position within the Empire as a whole, the organization of the land around the colony (centuriation, roads and paths), and describes the burial and funeral traditions of Roman times, through the different rituals that have been documented in the necropolis.
As the medieval and modern city developed and grew, a convent for the barefooted Carmelites order was built on this site in 1588. By the 20th century, the damage suffered by the church and the rest of the convent’s structures owing to the bombardments during the Civil War led the City Council to relocate the convent and to begin remodeling the area, by creating a new square next to the Ateneu which would feature new buildings in a classicist style. It was then that the remains of the Roman necropolis were discovered, and the decision was made to leave the finds in situ and to create an archaeological space in the middle of the square.