This is a limestone quarry that was excavated during the period of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. It is more than 200 metres long and between 10 and 40 metres wide. It was used to construct the most important buildings in Tarraco, capital of Hispania Citerior during the Republic. It is managed by the Tarragona History Museum.

The quarry has almost vertical walls of up to 12 metres, and in the centre of the quarry there is a column, often found in Roman quarries, which was used to measure the quantity extracted from the quarry. There are various hypotheses and interpretations of this stone column, including its possible function as a sundial, like the one Augustus ordered to be built in the Field of Mars in 10 BC.

It is the largest of the six Roman quarries surrounding Tarraco. It was quarried for the locally known Soldó, a Miocene limestone of white to reddish tones, generally light golden. This rock, although unsuitable for the most outstanding Roman architecture in the city, was used for the bulk of Roman construction and for the medieval architecture of Tarragona, including the cathedral of Santa Tecla.

The quarry is very close to the Via Augusta, one of the main roads of the empire whose route is followed by the current national road 340 between Barcelona and Tarragona. This road was used to move some 50,000 cubic metres of stone, mainly along the 6 km that separate the quarry from Tarraco.