ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Cabildo (council)

Imagine you have a group of friends, and you want to decide on something important, like what game to play or what movie to watch. Instead of one person making the decision for everyone, you all gather together to talk about it and share your ideas. This group of friends is like a council or cabildo.

Now, let's pretend that instead of just deciding on games or movies, this council is responsible for making decisions that affect many people in a community, like where a new park should be built or how to spend money on public projects. This council, or cabildo, consists of several people who represent the community and work together to make these important decisions.

The cabildo includes different members, each with their own role. There might be a mayor, who is like the leader of the council and makes sure everything runs smoothly. There may also be councilors, who are like the representatives of the community, speaking up for the needs and wants of the people they represent.

When the cabildo has a meeting, everyone gathers in a special place, like a town hall or council chambers, to discuss and share their ideas. They use rules called procedures to ensure everyone gets a chance to speak and that decisions are made in a fair and organized way.

During the meeting, councilors might bring up topics or issues that they think are important. They talk about these topics, listen to what others have to say, and then work together to come up with a decision that they think is best for the community.

Once a decision is made, it is usually recorded in writing, so that it can be remembered and followed in the future. This is like writing down the rules for a game that you decide to play with your friends, so that everyone knows what to do.

The decisions made by the cabildo can have a big impact on the community. For example, if they decide to build a new park, it could provide a fun place for children to play and for families to spend time together. If they decide to spend money on public projects, it could help improve things like roads or schools in the community.

So, in simple terms, a cabildo is like a group of people who come together to discuss and make important decisions for a community. They listen to each other, follow rules, and work together to make choices that they believe will benefit the community as a whole.