Cabildo de Montevideo
Here we are! Welcome to one of the corners with the most soul in all of Montevideo: the historic Cabildo. If you look around, you will see that we are in the heart of the Old City, right in front of the emblematic Plaza Matriz and the Cathedral. To understand the magnitude of this building, we have to travel back in time to the beginning of the 19th century. The works began in 1804, designed by the master Tomás Toribio. At that time, under Spanish colonial rule, it not only functioned as the administrative and justice center of the city, but also housed the Royal Prisons. Imagine this patio and these walls witnessing the English Invasions, the Eastern Revolution and the birth of Uruguay. In fact, it was precisely within these walls where on July 18, 1830, the first Constitution of the Republic was sworn. Later, it served as the seat of Parliament and even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during World War II. Today, the panorama is very different but just as fascinating. Since 1958, the building has housed the Cabildo de Montevideo Historical Museum. As you can see, the neoclassical structure is impeccably preserved thanks to meticulous restoration work. Inside there are no longer colonial cells or offices, but rather exhibition rooms with contemporary proposals, art collections, antique furniture...
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