La plaza de las Chestanas
An oral history

Loosely translated, La Plaza de las Chestanas means ‘the town square of the inhabitants of Cheste’, encapsulating the sense of place and belonging which is transmitted via the testimonies preserved in this award-winning documentary. The short film contains extracts from interviews carried out in the summer of 2020 with six locals from the town of Cheste, born between 1920-1960 and spanning several generations between them. It is thanks to their knowledge, experiences and memories that we are able to journey through a history of Cheste’s town square: the Plaza Doctor Cajal.

The preservation of these oral histories forms part of a citizen participation initiative entitled Cheste Decides: Plaza Dr Cajal, whose objective is to remodel Cheste’s town square and thus revitalise the town centre of this Valencian municipality.

This project was awarded the V Urban Planning award for urban planning with a gender perspective by the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Mobility of the Generalitat Valenciana (government of the autonomous region of Valencia).