The Body of the City: Popular Participation in Cabildos Abiertos and Juntas across the Spanish World, 1765–1823

In the absence of the king, vassals across the Spanish empire convened cabildos abiertos organized local juntas. The fear of the French emissaries and Francophile authorities inspired different actions, from praising governors to overthrowing them, from establishing new loyalist governments to delegitimizing the monarchy. Despite claiming sovereignty rested in the community to legitimize their actions, political actors often challenged what the community was. The presence and the participation of the populace in these orderly and ceremonious events oftentimes bothered the organizers.

It is commonplace to believe that cabildos abiertos and juntas emerged in the Hispanic world after the political crisis of 1808. This paper recenters that narrative to explore the use of these political emergency tools before and after the crisis of 1808. It suggests that the rejection of the participation of the population was less common during less troubled times, even legitimizing them. However, during times of crisis, such as that started in 1808, the population became the populace: a menace that needed to be controlled.

This paper analyzes the political language regidores and alcaldes used in Cádiz, Cusco, Montevideo and Pamplona during times of instability, revealing that in order to prevent power from slipping out of their hands, the elites controlling the ayuntamiento showed itself as a unified, articulated body. When internal strive dominated the political discussion in the city halls, however, the multiplication of agendas and political stances led to social outburst and revolution.