On May 18th, 1810, Viceroy Cisneros issued a proclamation that made evident the crisis of legitimacy of the Spanish power after the fall of the Central Junta of Seville. The news stirred the political climate in Buenos Aires and ignited the debate on the future of the viceroyalty.

That same night, a group of patriots met in the house of Rodríguez Peña and drafted the call for an Open Town Hall. Thus began the road to freedom that would mark the beginning of the May Revolution.

On May 19th, 1810, Juan José Castelli and Martín Rodríguez appeared before Viceroy Cisneros to demand the summoning of an Open Town Council. The proposal sought that the neighbors of Buenos Aires could deliberate on the future of the viceroyalty, in view of the crisis of the Spanish authority.

Cisneros responded that he would evaluate the request, but his intention was to gain time. Meanwhile, the revolutionary spirit continued to grow in the streets. History was on the march...

On May 20th, 1810, faced with the growing popular pressure, Viceroy Cisneros gathered the military chiefs in search of support, but found a resounding rejection. That same night, Juan José Castelli and Martín Rodríguez insisted with the call for an Open Town Hall. Cornered, Cisneros gave in: “You do what you want”.

That day, the viceregal power began to crack. The will of the patriots was imposed as the engine of the birth of a Nation that was already unstoppable.

On May 21th, 1810, while the Cabildo was in session, the Plaza de la Victoria was occupied by some 600 determined men, armed with pistols and daggers. Led by Domingo French and Antonio Luis Beruti, they loudly demanded the realization of the Cabildo Abierto. They wore portraits of Ferdinand VII on their hats and white ribbons on their lapels, a symbol of unity in the face of the crisis of viceregal legitimacy.

Under the pressure of the crowd and with the intervention of the head of the Regiment of Patricios, Cornelio Saavedra, the cabildantes gave in. The síndico Julián de Leiva announced from the balcony the convocation of the Cabildo Abierto for the following day. History was making its way through the crowd determined to change the destiny of the viceroyalty.