Pedro de Alconchel: What I know of this is that I was at Cajamarca with the Marqués the Governor Don Francisco Pizarro when a few days after Atahualpa, who was the sovereign lord of these realms, had been made prisoner, the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro arrived there with a number of men, and I saw that among them was Mansio Serra; and that from that time onwards I witnessed him serve in all that was commanded of him in the conquest of this kingdom.
Juan Pantiel de Salinas: Being as I was at Cajamarca with the Governor Don Francisco Pizarro I met Mansio Serra there, who served in the war as a fine soldier, and who had come there with the Adelantado Diego de Almagro.
Nicolás de Ribera: I witnessed Mansio Serra come to this realm in the armada of the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro; and he may well have sailed ahead in the ship in which he mentions, but I have no recollection of this, other than the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro landed on the coast of Peru in the Bay of San Mateo, which is some 150 leagues, more or less, in distance from Cajamarca; and it was there I saw Mansio Serra in the company of the Adelantado and the rest of his men, and who on their march conquered and pacified the natives, experiencing great hardship and lack of provisions, until they reached Cajamarca where the Governor Don Francisco Pizarro held Atahualpa prisoner; and who by the arrival of the Adelantado and his men was greatly pleased, for they arrived there at a time of great need of assistance because of Atahualpa’s imprisonment and the threat from the multitudes of his warriors. It is also true that Atahualpa gave a great amount of gold and silver for his ransom which was sent to His Majesty and which was divided among the soldiers.
Bernabé Picón: At the end of the year Fifteen Hundred and Thirty Two I came from the provinces of Nicaragua with other soldiers to this realm of Peru and landed on the coast and Bay of San Mateo, and some two days’ march from there was encamped the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro, and where I met and saw Mansio Serra who had come with the Adelantado from Panama; and from there we went with the Adelantado as far as Tangarará, which is where the city of San Miguel was founded, and which is now called Piura.
Luis Sánchez: What I know is that in the year Fifteen Hundred and Thirty Two the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro sailed from Tierra Firme to this realm of Peru in search of, and in aid of the Governor Don Francisco Pizarro who had gone ahead, and that among the men who sailed with the Adelantado was Mansio Serra who landed at the Bay of San Mateo; and from there to Cajamarca, which is some 150 leagues, more or less, the Adelantado, Mansio Serra and the rest of the men who were with them, pacified all the villages and provinces they passed until they reached Cajamarca, where the Governor Don Francisco Pizarro had a short while before made Atahualpa, the sovereign of these realms, his prisoner; and all those who marched with the Adelantado experienced great hardship, in the fighting, hunger and deprivations, for the land was at war, and in the crossing of the mountains and many rivers, and in certain areas clearing the roads along which we marched; and the Governor was much pleased with the arrival of so important a reinforcement, and at such good time; for he was greatly stretched in men and greatly hindered by having Atahualpa as his prisoner and surrounded by so many of his warriors; and this is known to me, for I served with the Adelantado and took part in what I record, and in which Mansio Serra served in all that was ordered of him as the fine soldier he was. It is also publicly held that the imprisonment of Atahualpa and the reinforcements the Adelantado brought to Cajamarca were the most important services rendered Your Majesty; for before our arrival the Governor Don Francisco Pizarro was on the point of losing all, for those who were with him were few, and the Indian warriors in great number; and it is true that Atahualpa gave for his ransom great treasure in gold and silver which was sent to His Majesty with Hernando Pizarro, and much more remained behind for it was not possible then to take it all; and I saw Mansio Serra serve Your Majesty until we reached Cajamarca and from there onwards, doing all that was commanded of him as a good soldier.
Conquistador: (5) I accompanied the governors Don Francisco Pizarro and Don Diego de Almagro on their march to Cuzco, of which they had received news, and on the way to which we met with many difficulties and risk because of the state of the roads; reaching the valley of Jauja we encountered a great number of warriors who had burnt its bridges, and with whom we had many engagements in fighting, making use of our arms and horses to disperse them.
Nicolás de Ribera: I witnessed the Governor and the Adelantado leave Cajamarca with all the rest of the people, among them Mansio Serra, in their discovery and conquest until they reached the valley of Jauja where there were a great many Indian warriors, and with whom they fought and battled until they defeated them and drove them from the valley, in which great hardship and risk were met.
Juan Pantiel de Salinas: This is known to me for I left Cajamarca in the company of the Governor and of the Adelantado for the seizure of Cuzco; and one of those who went with them was Mansio Serra, who served in all that was ordered of him during our march through the various provinces before reaching the valley of Jauja, where we engaged and fought the natives.
Pedro de Alconchel: I witnessed Mansio Serra leave Cajamarca with the Governor and the Adelantado in search of the city of Cuzco, and along the road we made discoveries and conquests of the provinces through which we marched until we reached the valley of Jauja where we found a great multitude of Indian warriors; and we did battle with them until with great difficulty we drove them from the said valley, and in all of which served Mansio Serra, as witnessed by me.
Bernabé Picón: The Marqués Don Francisco Pizarro, as Governor of these realms by order of His Majesty, and the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro, who at that time was his captain-general, left Cajamarca and entered the interior of the land as far as the valley and province of Jauja, where Atahualpa’s chiefs and his warriors attacked and fought us at the entrance of the valley; and this witness saw Mansio Serra accompany the said Governor and Adelantado, serving them in all that was commanded of him, as was ordered of us all.
Lucas Martínez Vegazo: It is known to me that Mansio Serra accompanied the governors and men of Cajamarca to Jauja, and that in the same valley of Jauja Mayta Yupanqui, Atahualpa’s chief, in command of a great multitude of warriors, attacked us Spaniards and we fought the Indians until we broke and dispersed their squadrons, pursuing them and killing them for some 12 leagues, and among the Spaniards was Mansio Serra, who greatly served Your Majesty, and this I know, for it is what I saw.
Luis Sánchez: I witnessed the Governor Don Francisco Pizarro and the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro, together with all the people, and Mansio Serra among them, leave Cajamarca for the seizure of Cuzco, discovering and conquering and fortifying all the valleys and provinces of the Indians on their march to the valley of Jauja, which is more than 100 leagues, and where we found many warriors and chiefs of Atahualpa; and with whom a great engagement and battle took place with much difficulty and risk, until they were defeated; and this I know to be true for I served there, and was witnessed by me.
Conquistador: (6) In the advance to Cuzco the Captain Hernando de Soto went ahead with seventy hand-picked soldiers, I among them, for much of the land was still at war; and we reached the province of Vilcastambo, against whose Indians we fought, some thirty thousand in number,* and I took prisoner many of their scouts after a great deal of fighting and risk.
Pedro de Alconchel: After we defeated the warriors in the valley of Jauja the Governor the Marqués Francisco Pizarro ordered the Captain Hernando de Soto, who was his general, to take with him sixty soldiers, and to go ahead and scout the road for the seizure of the city of Cuzco; for certain Indian spies had informed us that Quisquis, Atahualpa’s captain-general, was going to reinforce the city with many Indian warriors; and I witnessed the Captain Hernando de Soto go on ahead, and as Mansio Serra was young and very diligent he took him with him; and it is commonly held that in the province of Vilcas, in its township they took part in a battle until they defeated the people there, and the
n went on ahead.
Lucas Martínez Vegazo: It is true that after having defeated the Indians of the valley of Jauja and having regrouped, the Marqués Don Francisco Pizarro sent the Captain Hernando de Soto with fifty horsemen and some foot soldiers in pursuit of the Indian warriors on the road to Cuzco; in which march we fought the natives and met great danger, for the Spaniards having gone lightly armed and without their porters, and among those who went ahead in the vanguard was I believe Mansio Serra; yet so much time has passed I cannot remember well whether he was there or not.
Juan Pantiel de Salinas: I witnessed in the valley of Jauja the Governor Don Francisco Pizarro order the Captain Hernando de Soto to leave on the road to Cuzco and confront the people that were there and to discover and conquer the land and report on it, and I saw that among the sixty or more men he took with him was Mansio Serra; and on reaching Vilcas they were met by a great number of Indian warriors with whom we did battle and fight against with difficulty and great hardship, and I saw that Mansio Serra served there as a fine soldier, doing all that was commanded and asked of him.
Bernabé Picón: What I know of this is that while the Marqués Don Francisco Pizarro was at Jauja I saw him summon the Captain Hernando de Soto, and if I recall correctly, summon also the soldiers mentioned, for I was one of them, so that we could report on the road ahead to Cuzco; and he sent us forward, including Mansio Serra, and when we reached Vilcas we were faced by a great number of warriors with whom we fought three engagements on the day we reached there, and I saw Mansio Serra capture certain of their scouts, as he says.
Nicolás de Ribera: I witnessed the Captain Hernando de Soto leave the valley of Jauja with certain men given him in order to scout the land ahead for the seizure of Cuzco, and what is said of this is commonly held; though I did not see this, because from Jauja I returned to the bay [of San Mateo] by order of the Governor Don Francisco Pizarro to take possession of it in His Majesty’s name, and of all that had been discovered; for he had news that Don Pedro de Alvarado was coming from Honduras with armed men to enter this realm.
Luis Sánchez: It is true that a few days after we had defeated the natives of the valley of Jauja the Governor Don Francisco Pizarro sent up to a hundred and twenty men, footmen and cavalry, to march with him for the seizure of Cuzco, and ordered that the rest of the people remain in the valley of Jauja with the treasurer Riquelme, in guard of the treasure of His Majesty, which was some million [pesos of gold] more or less, and also in guard of the treasure of the individuals who were to leave with the Governor; and the hundred and twenty men, among them this witness and Mansio Serra, left with the Governor, and on the road the Governor ordered the Captain Hernando de Soto to go ahead, taking with him sixty or seventy foot men and horsemen; and they went in advance inspecting the land, for the Indians we had defeated in the valley had retreated to the city of Cuzco and on their march had destroyed bridges and recruited more men; and the captain went ahead with the men, taking with him Mansio Serra, until we reached the province and township of Vilcas where we had a lengthy engagement with the native warriors, in which we fought very hard and at great risk until we defeated them; and then we went in pursuit of them until the crest of Vilcaconga, fording and swimming across a river with much difficulty, for the natives had burnt its bridges, and it was winter and the rivers were in flood.
Conquistador: (7–11) From the province of Vilcas, after having cleared our way, the Captain Soto and the aforementioned men, and I among them, went on towards the city of Cuzco until we reached the crest of Vilcaconga, 8 leagues distance from Cuzco; and where we once more engaged the natives and did battle with them, and which was with great difficulty; and in the battle many of our men were killed and wounded, as were many horses, and those that remained were wounded. And that among all the men the captain had taken with him, I alone was chosen to return along the route we had taken to show the governors where to ford the river [Apurímac] and bring them to where we were; and in great danger I returned through the lines of the Indians who surrounded us, and I was able to inform Don Diego de Almagro of what had taken place and show him and those who were with him the way to where the captain was besieged, and urge them to go there at all speed. And having informed Don Diego and those who were with him, within hours they relieved Captain Soto and his men after marching a full day, and at great risk because of the multitude of Indians. On the orders of Don Diego I remained by the river in guard of it, and so as to show the Governor Don Francisco Pizarro and the reinforcements where to ford and the route to take; and this I showed him, and with all speed we marched to relieve Don Diego and His Majesty’s servitors, and where I had helped bury our dead and cure our wounded of the royal encampment, and also bury the horses so the Indians would not discover our losses.
Juan Pantiel de Salinas: After defeating and pacifying the warriors in the province of Vilcas the captain and his men went forward towards the crest of Vilcaconga, which is 8 leagues from the city of Cuzco, and where the Chief Quisquis was in guard of the crest with other warrior chiefs who were of Atahualpa’s army; and in defence of the crest they gave battle and placed us at great risk of our lives, and they killed some of us Spaniards and wounded others and horses, and during which fighting I saw Mansio Serra serve as a good soldier and honourable man. After our battle on the crest of Vilcaconga we were in great danger and only protected by the night. And at night we buried our dead and the horses that very night. As the captain’s adjutant at his command I selected Mansio Serra, being as he was a person of diligence and enthusiasm, to go back and show Don Diego de Almagro and his men where to ford the river, and that same night they reached us. It was a service Mansio Serra performed of great merit and importance.
Pedro de Alconchel: It is true and publicly held that the Captain Hernando de Soto and those who were with him in the vanguard on reaching Vilcaconga encountered Quisquis and a great number of warriors, with whom they fought into the night, and five Spaniards were killed and eighteen horses and seventeen Spaniards were wounded other than those who had been killed. And being by the tambos of the River Apurímac, this witness, together with the Governor and the Adelantado, were informed by Indian scouts the warriors Quisquis had with him at Vilcaconga and the Marqués ordered the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro to take with him some thirty horsemen in search of Captain Soto, until he found him and rescued him; and this witness went with him, walking at great speed along the road until we heard the news of how they were surrounded on the mountain crest, and that five Spaniards had been killed, and that seventeen or eighteen were wounded; and the Adelantado reached them that same day of the battle when it was already dark, and then in groups, the rest of the men arrived who had walked the whole of that night, and the Adelantado chose Mansio Serra, for being not only young but conscientious and quick footed, to return and inform the Marqués Don Francisco Pizarro of what had taken place, and to show him the way across the river, the bridge of which had been burnt; and I saw him leave on that mission, which was one of great risk and danger, and he then returned with the Marqués to the crest where we were all gathered; and of this and of the rest, it was a great service he performed that day, and of so much importance. And if that same night the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro and this witness and other horsemen had not come to their aid, some thirty men, more or less, not one of them would have escaped because a great number of warriors surrounded them.
Lucas Martínez Vegazo: After the events at Vilcas the Spaniards who were with Captain Soto went with him to the crest of Vilcaconga at great peril and difficulty, and at which crest the natives killed five Spaniards and wounded some others, and also horses, and among those who were there, and who I remember fighting there with the rest of the Spaniards was Mansio Serra. I cannot recall whether it was Mansio Serra who was sent by the Captain Soto, but I believe it was he, being as he was the strongest runner among us. And as I was with Captain Hernando de Soto’s men I was not able to know what happened at the river and ford, which was 7 leag
ues, more or less, from where we were besieged. After the killing of the five Spaniards and with less than a shot left of our crossbows, and being positioned high up the crest and encircled by the natives, the rescue arrived in the middle of the night, in groups of ten and twenty, each one making their way to the crest until dawn; and I know of this because it is what I witnessed with my own eyes, and in which I took part, and with great difficulty and danger to our lives.
Bernabé Picón: After the Captain Hernando de Soto and those who were with him had fought in the township of Vilcas, seeing that the Indians had retreated towards Cuzco, he left in pursuit of them following them on the road which brought him to the crest of Vilcaconga, which crest and mountain Atahualpa’s chiefs had fortified with a great number of warriors, and where we had a great and perilous battle with the natives, in which five Spaniards were killed and many others wounded, as were our horses; and we all served and experienced great risk and peril, so much so that if the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro had not come with the help of some thirty horsemen that night, at the hour of two or three, we would have suffered much danger because many of us Spaniards were wounded, five killed, and the rest greatly exhausted, and the Indian warriors were all about us in great numbers, and had we not been reinforced we would have all perished. And I witnessed Captain Hernando de Soto, seeing that there was no bridge across the Apurímac, and which we his men had forded across, order Mansio Serra to show the governors where to ford the river, and which he carried out as ordered of him.
The Last Conquistador Page 20
