What does cabildo mean?
A cabildo was the town council that governed cities and towns throughout Spain and its American empire. Made up of councillors called regidores and typically presided over by one or two alcaldes, the cabildo managed local affairs ranging from public works and markets to policing and taxation. The word also denotes the building in which such a council met, and several of these structures survive as landmarks — most famously the Cabildos of Buenos Aires and New Orleans. During the early nineteenth century, cabildos played a decisive political role when emergency open assemblies known as cabildos abiertos became the forum in which many Spanish American colonies declared their independence from Spain. Though the institution itself faded after independence, variants of municipal councils under this name persist in some Latin American countries, keeping the word alive in both historical writing and modern civic vocabulary.
nounA town council in Spain and former Spanish colonies, especially the municipal governing body of a Spanish-American city during the colonial period; by extension, the historic town-hall building where such a council met.
- A municipal governing council in Spain and its former American colonies, composed of regidores (councillors) headed by an alcalde.
- The building housing such a council, especially the historic cabildo buildings preserved in Latin American cities.
"The colonial cabildo of Buenos Aires still stands at the edge of the Plaza de Mayo."
"In colonial Peru, the cabildo handled everything from market regulations to local taxation."
"Tourists gathered on the steps of the old Cabildo in New Orleans, now a museum of Louisiana history."
Regular English plural; used when referring to multiple councils or buildings across different cities.
"Cabildos throughout the Viceroyalty of New Granada sent delegates to the junta."
When Buenos Aires needed a revolution, it was the cabildo that opened its doors and set independence in motion.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cabildo
The word "cabildo" comes from Spanish, derived from Latin "capitulum," meaning "little head" or "chapter." This is the same root that gave English "chapter" (via Old French) and related terms such as "capitular," reflecting how both ecclesiastical chapters and civic councils were bodies of members gathered under a common head. Spanish carried the word to its American colonies, where it named the municipal councils that governed colonial cities from the sixteenth century onward.
How cabildo is actually used
"Cabildo" is primarily used in historical contexts referring to Spanish colonial administration, though the word survives as a term for municipal government in parts of Latin America today. It is also associated with "cabildo abierto," an extraordinary open meeting of townspeople convened to decide major political questions during the independence era. In New Orleans, "the Cabildo" refers specifically to the landmark Spanish colonial building beside St. Louis Cathedral.