Centre of the Spanish colonisation of the Río de La Plata until the second foundation of Buenos Aires, Asuncion is today the political, economic and cultural capital city of Paraguay. In 1617, the Río de la Plata Governorship was divided into two provinces: Río de la Plata and Paraguay, its capital cities being Buenos Aires and Asuncion, respectively. The choice of Buenos Aires as the capital of the Rio de la La Plata Viceroyalty in 1776 left Asuncion on a secondary plane, until the independence of Paraguay was declared in 1811. Asuncion represents the economic centre of Paraguay, as well as its almost sole manufacturing centre. It is also the main financial and trading centre. More than half the exports and imports of Paraguay are carried out through this city. The past of the city shows in its urban design and its residential buildings. Among the main civil and religious buildings, we can mention the Cathedral (finished in 1850), the Legislative Palace, the National Pantheon, The Archbishopric Palace, and the Incarnacion Church.