Al umbral de la Plaza Mayor

Designed in the late 16th century and completed a few decades later, the Plaza Mayor is the most significant emblem of Madrid. A stage for solemn celebrations and popular festivals, a meeting point for a Court lacking monumental sites, the influx of tourists it faces often obscures the fact that it is inhabited by some 1,000 Madrid residents, down from the 3,700 who lived there at the beginning of the 17th century. It is they, its residents, who have shaped it over the centuries, transforming it into one of Spain's most representative civil works. From this citizen's perspective, "At the Threshold of the Plaza Mayor" explores, through plans, historical documents, and photographs, its past and present, its inner history and the need for its preservation.