Within the local jurisdiction the cabildo carried out most of the activities of a modern city or county council: zoning, licensing, quality and standards control, utilities, recording of deeds (but not vital statistics, which were recorded by the parish priest) property appraisal, probate, street cleaning, nightwatch, mapping and surveying, maintaining public order, leasing public lands, attracting government installations and funds, highway and waterway maintenance, public recreation, and even, to a degree, health, education, recreation, and welfare. The cabildo had other duties no longer assigned to local authorities, such as enforcing curfews, fixing prices, punishing concubinage, managing public auctions and markets, reducing specie drain, raising a militia, registering and naturalizing aliens, sending a district representative to the metropolis, and worrying about an adequate food supply. (Bushnell KC)