Long before Collado Villalba had a town hall, it had a rock. Known as the Piedra del Concejo, this massive granite outcrop once served as the beating heart of local decision-making, where neighbors gathered in the open air to debate land disputes, local laws, and communal concerns in a form of direct democracy that predates modern institutions. In 1724, the town’s mayor, known as Señor Sanz, ordered the stone to be reshaped with five carved steps, transforming it into a more comfortable civic p...