Cabildo (council)
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A cabildo was a former Spanish colonial administrative unit governed by a council. Cabildos were the governing bodies of several cities of the viceroyalties in the Americas. For instance, the Cabildo de Buenos Aires was the most important cabildo of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.
[edit] Modern Cabildos
At present, cabildos exist only on the Canary Islands, one governing each island: Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro. (La Graciosa falls under the jurisdiction of the cabildo of Lanzarote.) Cabildos resemble the consells insulars (insular councils) of the Balearic Islands.
The members of a cabildo are elected by direct universal suffrage by the Spanish citizens of each island. The membership is determined by party-list proportional representation.
The cabildos were created under the Law of Cabildos of 1927. During Francisco Franco's dictatorship they were appointed rather than elected. Cabildos exercise a level of authority between those of their province and their autonomous communities in matters of health, environment, culture, sports, industry, highways, freeways, roads, drinking water and irrigation, hunting and fishing licencing, museums, beaches, public transportation and land organization. Cabildos can impose fuel taxes.
[edit] External links
| Spanish terms for country subdivisions | |
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| National / Federal | distrito federal / cantón · departamento · estado · provincia · comunidad autónoma · región |
| Regional / Metropolitan | comarca · comuna · municipalidad · municipio · merindad · corregimiento · anteiglesia / delegación · parroquia |
| Urban / Rural | barrio · colonia · fraccionamiento / comisaría · ranchería · parroquia · Vereda |
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Historical subdivisions in italics
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