The Cabildo Secular or Municipal Government of Manila: Social Component, Organization, Economics

The chapters in this book were originally published as articles in Philippine periodicals, but bringing them together in one volume is useful. The lengthiest chapter (II, pp. 23-118) has less to do with the city council than with demography. The study of the council proper is mainly an examination of the sale of offices and cabildo activities in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Of considerable value is the archival detail provided on the early colonial period since little research of this nature has been carried out. Merino’s work is based on archival sources, primarily from the Archivo General de Indias. There is no index and placing the appendixes at the end of each chapter is confusing.