Conquistador: (36) At the time of Francisco Girón’s rebellion, only by the force of my arms was I able to prevent him harming Gil Ramírez Dávalos who at the time was corregidor of Cuzco, and I helped him flee the city and took him to my villages and fed and cared for him, and did all that I could in His Majesty’s service.
Francisco de Illescas: Though I was not in Cuzco at the time of Francisco Hernández Girón’s uprising, I was told by Piedrahita and others that Mansio Serra prevented any harm being done to Gil Ramírez Dávalos, and that he had sheltered him.
Conquistador: (37–8) When the Mariscal Alonso de Alvarado came from Charcas to assist His Majesty against Francisco Hernández I went to receive him well armed with my men and horses. And being ordered to go to the enemy’s camp near Nazca and to the plains of the province of Parinacochas, taking with me some Spaniards, I went there to discover the movements and intentions of the enemy. And I carried out my mission with much diligence, inspecting the enemy encampment and scouting its movements as a good caudillo and captain; and I informed the Mariscal of what exactly was taking place in the rebel encampment; all of which was of great difficulty for the land there is very rocky, and impossible to reach by horse without being detected.
Hernán Gómez: When the Mariscal Alonso de Alvarado brought his army against Francisco Hernández Girón, he sent Mansio Serra, being a person of diligence and in his confidence, to the provinces of Charcas and of Cuntisuyo with a number of soldiers, to scout the land and discover the state of the rebel army and of its movements, and to enquire which way should His Majesty’s army march; and something he carried out for several days and which was of great importance; and after this he went to the province of Parinacochas, and there also did scout the land; and when the army of the Mariscal reached the province of Parinacochas I saw that Mansio Serra was there and that he had with him the caciques of all that province, and who he had brought with him, so that their men could serve us as scouts and in carrying information; and it is known to me that he experienced great difficulty in his mission because of the barrenness of the land, and much of which he crossed on foot, and that he surveyed the vicinity of the enemy camp at great risk to himself.
Juan de Rivamartín: As one of the commanders of the royal army of the Mariscal I know that Mansio Serra took with him a number of soldiers to the lands of his Indians which are between the provinces of Cuntisuyo and Parinacochas, and near the road the rebel was to take his army; and the mariscal was informed of their movements. And because he was known by the natives of that province and respected by them, he was also sent to organize provisions for the royal encampment; and this he complied in doing with those men he had taken with him to a tambo in Parinacochas, which is today the encomienda of Alonso de Hinojosa, citizen of Cuzco, and which had previously belonged to Don Baltazar de Castilla; and on the orders of the Mariscal I went there to organize the provisions, and one night at midnight, a night of terrible cold, I met Mansio Serra who was returning to inform the Mariscal of what he had learnt; and the land was barren and rocky, most of which could only be crossed on foot.
Francisco Ruiz: I was the quarter master of the Mariscal’s army and I witnessed Mansio Serra join us, and I saw him appointed by the Mariscal to undertake a mission to scout the mountain passes, bridges and roads we would march through, and where we would be able to take our artillery; and as he was a man with great experience of that land, and a person who could be trusted, the Mariscal nominated him for that mission; and I saw him leave us, and his mission he accomplished at great danger to himself with diligence and care until he returned to our encampment in the province of Parinacochas after crossing some 80 leagues, and the Mariscal received him warmly and thanked him in the name of His Majesty.
Francisco de Illescas: Coming as I did in the army of the Mariscal Alonso de Alvarado from Charcas against Francisco Hernández Girón, I saw Mansio Serra receive the Mariscal on the outskirts of Cuzco and join the royal standard, with his arms and men; and later in the city of Cuzco, being as he was a person in whom the Mariscal held great confidence, he was sent as a caudillo and captain with a number of soldiers to the provinces of Cuntisuyo and Parinacochas and Caraveli, and other regions, to scout out the land and enquire the whereabouts of Francisco Hernández’s encampment, and to give us information about his army; and I saw him leave the city well armed and provisioned for war; and later when I visited his house I saw the letters and dispatches he sent informing us of Francisco Hernández’s encampment; and which must have been of great danger to his person, being so close to the enemy, and had they caught him they would have hung him, as they had hung numerous others.
Conquistador: (39) I helped provision the army of His Majesty, and in which I served alongside Alvarado, bringing him many provisions of war, and at great cost to myself in pesos of gold.
Diego Camacho: At the time I saw Mansio Serra in the royal encampment I saw him treated as someone of great authority and as a hidalgo, and he had with him arms, horses and his personal soldiers, in all of which he must have spent a great deal of his wealth.
Francisco de Illescas: I saw Mansio Serra bring with him his tents and servants as a man of quality, and that there he shared his table with many soldiers, giving them what he possessed.
Conquistador: (40–2) I gave favour to many soldiers, supplying them with muskets and powder and horses, and other articles of war for the service of His Majesty, and all at great cost to myself in pesos of gold; and by order of the Mariscal, taking with me some hundred soldiers, I went to cut off certain mountain passes and bridges where the enemy would march, and this I carried out with diligence and alacrity. And in the company of the Mariscal Alonso de Alvarado I entered in the Battle of Chuquinga well armed, with my horses and my servants, and I was one of the vanguard in the battle and urged the soldiers to fight, and I fought there as a gentleman and servitor of Your Majesty until we were defeated, being one of the last to leave the field of battle on foot, and where I lost a great sum of gold, of some ten thousand pesos.
Hernán Gómez: It is true the Mariscal sent Mansio Serra with certain soldiers to cut off the passes of that part of Chuquinga, where the army of the rebels would have to flee through if it were defeated in the valley; a mission he accomplished at great risk, but as the rebels won the battle it was to no avail though a great service, and this I know for I was in the army of the Mariscal. I believe that Mansio Serra returned in time to take part in the battle, because that very night after our defeat, leaving the field in the upper valley and fleeing the enemy, I saw Mansio Serra who was himself fleeing on foot with only a naked sword in his hand, and robbed of all his possessions, and we walked together the whole of that night until day break, when we each went our own way; and I know he lost a great deal of his wealth in the battle, for I had seen him in our encampment well provisioned with his horses, arms and his servants with his dining plate and tents.
Diego Camacho: I know Mansio Serra entered in the Battle of Chuquinga in the company of the Mariscal Alonso de Alvarado; and this I know because I served in the squadron of horse of Sancho Duarte; and we all left the field defeated and robbed of our possessions, and I know that he must have lost a great deal of his wealth for I had seen him in the encampment well provisioned with his arms, horses and slaves which were of great worth.
Juan de Rivamartín: I remember that after the battle Mansio Serra like the rest of our men, was forced to flee; and much later I heard that he had gone to the Cuntisuyo, which is a barren land, and where the rebel [Girón] attempted to entice him to join his cause, promising to reward him; and which I heard said by many persons and is public knowledge.
Ordoño de Valencia: I witnessed Mansio Serra at the Battle of Chuquinga with the Mariscal Alonso de Alvarado, and this I know for I saw him enter in the fighting and I believe he did all he says as a good servitor of His Majesty and as a gentleman and hidalgo; and I witnessed that he was one of the last to leave the field, having been robbed of all his possessions, his hor
ses, mules, slaves and arms and personal baggage, but which I believe was worth in gold slightly less than he says, but which he lost.
Francisco de Illescas: I saw Mansio Serra return after cutting off the passes and enter the battle well armed and provisioned; and of what he says I believe for he was a man of honour and brave, though the battle was won by the enemy who defeated the Mariscal and his men, and each one escaped as best he could; on reaching the Cuntisuyo some ten days later, more or less, I learned that Mansio Serra was there, and that he had left the battlefield on foot. I later saw him on horseback with his men, and I heard it said that he had borrowed the horse or purchased it; and his loss would have been great because when he entered the battle he was well armed with horses, slaves and provisions, all of which he lost, and when I met him again all he possessed were the clothes he wore. In the province of Cuntisuyo where Mansio Serra had his Indians I saw that he shared what he could to enable others to go with him in search of the royal army of the lord judges; and from there, he and I and other soldiers travelled through the most arid and desolate land in order to evade the enemy, in all some 150 leagues until we found the royal camp at Huamanga, having taken with us some ounces of gunpowder and other arms we had made for us in Cuntisuyo.
Conquistador: (43–4) In order to avoid being captured by Francisco Hernández and his followers I walked for some 200 leagues across the most arid of roads in search of the lord judges, and who I later joined, bringing with me many Spaniards and provisions for the royal service and some ten ounces of gunpowder, and I served under His Majesty’s royal standard and did all that was commanded of me. And at the battle at Pucará I fought in the front rank with my horses and servants, and served and fought well like a good soldier and gentleman in leading the soldiers until Francisco Hernández and his followers were captured and brought to justice.
Francisco de Illescas: I saw that once Mansio Serra reached Cuzco with the royal army he once more armed himself with horses and his retainers, for I myself sold him two horses; and with the royal army he went in good order up to Pucará and in the night of the battle there I witnessed him serve in a squadron of horse, and I believe he did that night do what he says as a vassal of His Majesty and as a man of honour, as he has always demonstrated; and in the morning in the retreat of the enemy I saw him give them chase and saw that his horse had lost an eye, gorged by either a lance or by musket shot.
Pedro Súarez de Illanes: I witnessed Mansio Serra serve in the royal camp, well armed and with his horses, retainers and tents, feeding his men from his own table, and in all of which he must have spent a great deal of gold; and I saw him take part in the battle at Pucará that night against Francisco Hernández and again in the morning; and as the night was so dark and frightful we all had a great deal of work to do and at great risk, and as I was in the squadron of Juan Román I was not able to see what Mansio Serra did, though I am certain he served as a fine soldier and man of honour.
Melchor Bravo de Saravia: I know that Mansio Serra fought at Pucará on the night of the battle, though Francisco Hernández was not taken prisoner nor killed that night but many days later in the valley of Jauja, from where he was brought to his city [of the Kings] to be tried.
Francisco Ruiz: I saw Mansio Serra at Pucará and I served there that night on foot as a musketeer; as he was among the cavalry and the battle was at night I was not able to see a great deal, though I am sure he served in the manner he says he did, understanding and knowing as I do his goodness and quality, and having seen the things he has done of great manliness.
Pedro de Alconchel: Throughout the whole of the Conquest, as also in the battle, I witnessed Mansio Serra serve as a nobleman and a valiant gentleman, always doing his duty and putting himself in danger and at risk, and at his own cost, for we all served in like manner and he could not but have spent a great deal of his wealth.
Lucas Martínez Vegazo: In the twenty-eight years I have known Mansio Serra in this realm I have seen him serve Your Majesty with honour and at his own expense, and in which he could not fail to have spent a great deal of money; being as he was an encomendero and a lord of Indians he was obliged to offer his aid, and which is the custom in times of war and of peace; and I have not heard it said he ever served against Your Majesty in either a battle or any such encounter that has taken place with the rebels.
Nicolás de Ribera: Having known Mansio Serra some thirty-one years more or less, I always saw him serve at his own expense as a good soldier and hidalgo, and he could not have failed to have spent a great deal of his wealth, and for which he never received any repayment or aid, because at the time of the conquest of this realm it was the custom though now no longer so among encomenderos.
Conquistador: (45–7) I declare I have been in these realms thirty-one years, in which time I have served Your Majesty with all diligence and honour and at my own expense as a gentleman of ancient lineage, having expended in such service and in the past wars and rebellions of these kingdoms more than fifty thousand pesos of gold, and having always complied with Your Majesty’s summons in times of peace and of war with my person, arms and wealth, my servants and soldiers, whom I have always maintained, though I am at present poor and in debt. And though the Marqués Don Francisco Pizarro awarded me two encomiendas, one in the Cuntisuyo called Alca, and the other in the Antisuyo, which to placate Don Pablo Inca he took from me and gave him, which was the encomienda of Callanga; and until this day I have only had one of these encomiendas to maintain myself.
Melchor Bravo de Saravia: Ever since I have known him I have always seen Mansio Serra comport himself as a hidalgo, bringing with him his servants and other persons, in times of peace and of war.
Hernán Gómez: In the war and in times of peace I have always seen Mansio Serra treated with great respect and honour as a gentleman and hidalgo and a man of great quality, supporting as he did his family and many soldiers who he often had with him in his house; maintaining also horses, mules, slaves and arms, and always giving aid to whosoever was in need: and because of which he did indeed spend greatly and because of which it is natural that he has debts and now lives in need of sustenance.
Francisco de Illescas: Because of his great expenditure over the years in His Majesty’s service, and for which he received neither aid nor recompense, and because of the little value of his Indians, Mansio Serra lives in great need and possesses many debts, for I myself have seen his debtors visit him.
Francisco Ruiz: In the time I have known Mansio Serra I have only ever seen him served from the Cuntisuyo where he possesses his encomienda of Alca, and which I believe is of little worth with the high cost of prices and its great distance from Potosí and his mines there.
Conquistador: (48–9) I am a gentleman and hidalgo of a noble house, and as such I am held, as were my parents and grandparents, and loved and acknowledged as such in the township of Pinto, where I come from.
Francisco de Illescas: The township from which Mansio Serra comes is but a league in distance from my own, and when meeting people from his land I have always heard it said that his parents were hidalgos, and that as such they enjoyed the privileges of hidalgos in the township of Pinto; and as such I have always held him; for if it were not so it would be known to me. I have also known Mansio Serra to have been married to the daughter of Gómez de Mazuelas, encomendero of Cuzco, and that he has either seven or eight children from the marriage; and in order to maintain so many children and his house with such honour, I know that he is unable to pay the whole year for their upkeep.
Hernando de Cespedes: In the years I have known Mansio Serra I have always seen him treated and esteemed as a gentleman and hidalgo, and in such rank he is held, and which is not only portrayed in his manners and behaviour, but which is publicly known; for there are many persons in this realm from his native land, and the lineages of Spain are equally well known in these realms.
Lucas Martínez Vegazo: I have always held Mansio Serra as a hidalgo, and as such he has lived. I saw that
he was married to the daughter of Mazuelas in Cuzco, and that a number of children were left him from his marriage, though I do not know how many, and that the income he receives from his Indians is little and not in accordance with his rank, for he is now in need and in debt.
Notary: (50) Is it known to the witness or ever heard by him that the said Mansio Serra was ever involved in any meeting, or party to in battle with any of the rebellions which have taken place in this realm against the service of His Majesty, or ever committed any such disservice?
Witnesses: All denied any knowledge.
Notary: (51) . . . inscribing my signature Francisco López, who had been among the men who had gone immediately afterwards [from Cajamarca] to place Cuzco under the royal jurisdiction, in the company of reserves of the Captain Hernando de Soto and Mansio Serra and Martínez Vegazo as they marched southward from Vilcasbamba to Cuzco, all of which he witnessed . . .
The Witnesses
Pedro de Alconchel: Aged 70. Estremaduran. Illiterate.
Rodrigo López Bernal: Aged 55. Origin unknown. Illiterate.
Diego Camacho: Aged 43. Origin unknown. Able to sign his name.
Hernando de Cespedes: Aged 45. Origin unknown. Literate.
Bartolomé Díaz: Aged 47. Castilian. Able to sign his name.
Hernán Gómez: Aged 35. Origin unknown. Able to sign his name.
Francisco Hernández de los Palacios: Aged 46. Estremaduran. Literate.
Francisco de Illescas: Aged 50. Castilian. Illiterate.
Pedro Suárez de Illanes: Aged 35. Origin unknown. Illiterate.
Martín Mercado de Peñalosa: Judge of Audiencia. Aged 38. Castilian.
Bernabé Picón: Aged 55. Origin unknown. Able to sign his name.
Nicolás de Ribera, el viejo: Aged 70. Andalusian. Literate.
Juan de Rivamartín: Aged 44. Origin unknown. Literate.
Francisco Ruiz: Aged 45. Origin unknown. Literate.
Juan Pantiel de Salinas: Aged 50. Castilian. Able to sign his name.
The Last Conquistador Page 23