cabildo

The cabildo is the building on the left hand side of the st. Louis cathedral. Many years ago it was used as housing for the clergy, however today it is a museum filled with the vast history of the New Orleans people.
The top floor was my favorite part of the museum, it was filled with stories and artifacts related to slave life in the pre-civil war New Orleans. There was a large block of wood near the entrance to the exhibit, a sales block. My heart began to ache for the poor souls whose lives had lead to this block. Families were torn apart on this block, lives ended on this block. To touch it sent chills down my spine.
The stairwells were lined with portraits of some of the most influential individuals in the New Orleans history. These beautiful works of art provided a view into the past, as I gazed at the painted faces captured forever as the once were I could almost hear the rustle of beautiful gowns and smell the gun powder that filled the air in the battle scenes.
One part of the museum was dedicated to the native American Indians who originally inhabited this land. These wonderful people who had learned to survive in such a harsh land helped the first to arrive to also survive. They taught them how to hunt and what to eat. They showed them were to develop the city, and how to survive the harsh weather. The exhibit in the museum was dedicated to the culture of these extrodinary people who allowed this great civilization to survive it's infancy.