 Responsible to the governor, town councils known as "Cabildo" administered local municipalities, the most important of which was Santiago, which was the seat of a Royal Appeals Court ("Real Audiencia") from 1609 until the end of colonial rule.Chile was the least wealthy realm of the Spanish Crown for most of its colonial history.Only in the 18th century did a steady economic and demographic growth begin, an effect of the reforms by Spain's Bourbon dynasty and a more stable situation along the frontier.