During a tribute held on March 25, 2026, Gesteiro explained that his interest in Majadahonda arose when, as a professor in Getafe, a student named Javier Maderuelo Bustillo proposed doing a project on his hometown. This initiative led him to meet Maderuelo's family, who revealed the existence of an "ancient stone" in "uncle Julio's" patio.
Upon examining the piece, Gesteiro, though not an archaeologist, suspected it was an anthropomorphic Visigothic sarcophagus. To confirm his hypothesis, he contacted Ángel Fuentes, an archaeologist from the Autonomous University, who noted the find and reported it to the Community of Madrid. However, according to Gesteiro, the piece did not receive the expected attention. "Uncle Julio" also showed him the place where the sarcophagus was found, in the La Herrera area, near the Cabeza Negra hill, where there are war trenches and remains of an ancient building with a well.
Years later, while walking through the same area with friends and his daughters, they discovered a fragment of a millstone. Gesteiro returned to the site alone and found all the broken pieces of the stone. This discovery was even exhibited at the Expo 92 in Majadahonda, but it also failed to generate interest. A Telemadrid report filmed the stone at his home.
“"My mother encouraged me to apply. They had a minimum condition of 75 pages, and well, without intending to, I reached 150."
His career as a local chronicler was consolidated in 1986 when his mother encouraged him to enter a research prize about Majadahonda. Despite being immersed in his doctoral thesis, Gesteiro submitted a 150-page work, exceeding the minimum requirement of 75, and was awarded. This recognition gave him the impetus to complete his thesis between 1987 and 1990. From 1990 onwards, he began to regularly publish articles about Majadahonda in the City Council's magazine.
His collaboration with the City Council was temporarily interrupted due to a "mishap" with some individuals who did not understand his proposals, leading the then-mayor to yield to pressure and stop requesting articles from him. However, months later, thanks to the intercession of Izquierda Unida, Gesteiro resumed his publications, albeit without the same enthusiasm. Years later, the magazine Majadahonda Te Va offered him a collaboration, and for a year, he wrote monthly informative articles. Finally, together with his coach, he wrote the history of the Marín Athletics Club (Pontevedra), his hometown, published by the Marín City Council.
