The Buenos Aires Cabildo Museum fills the last colonial building left on Plaza de Mayo. In the late 1800s, Buenos Aires set out to look European, and this plain white building was judged ugly. Three arches on each side were knocked down for new avenues. Decades later, the city changed its mind and returned it to its colonial character.

Under Spanish rule, it was the Cabildo: the town hall and the jail. Its council came from the landholding elite, and in time you could simply buy a seat. On 25 May 1810, Buenos Aires voted here to break from Spain.

VoiceMap’s self-guided audio tours use the Cabildo to explain why colonial Buenos Aires stayed so modest. They also trace how two British invasions pushed its council towards that 1810 vote.