open cabildo

The open cabildo (Spanish: cabildo abierto) is a traditional Hispanic American political action for convening citizens to make important decisions. It is comparable to the North American town hall meeting. History Colonial period The open cabildo was a special mode of assembly of the inhabitants of Spanish American cities during the colonial period, in cases of emergencies or disasters. Usually, the colonial cities were governed by a cabildo or an ayuntamiento, a municipal council in which most of the officers were appointed by the authorities. In cases of emergency, the cabildo could convene the heads of household (vecinos) in an "open" cabildo. At the beginning of the Spanish American wars of independence open cabildos played a decisive role were the path by revolutionary movements, acting as organs of popular participation, were able to remove the colonial authorities and establish new revolutionary governments.