604 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I02 



His son Hernando de Cifontes, after having served in Flanders until 

 his appointment as Cavalry Captain, and later as Royal Paymaster 

 (Contador) in Santa Marta, came down to the Kingdoms of Peru, 

 which at the moment were in a turmoil and convulsed by the rebellion 

 of Francisco Hernandez Jiron. Here he served His Majesty valiantly, 

 accompanying his forces against the rebel across the plains ; and 

 as there was no certain information about the projects he was enter- 

 taining, Cifontes volunteered to go with Capt. Lope Martin in 

 company with Francisco Cajas de Espinosa and Joannes de Villareal 

 to spy out the enemy's camp. On the road they met a troop of the 

 rebel army and fought with them ; Capt. Lope Martin and Joannes 

 de Villareal were captured and beheaded by the rebels in their camp. 

 Francisco Cajas de Espinosa, although his horse fell on that occasion, 

 got away by good luck and alacrity ; and Hernando de Cifontes, 

 thinking himself lost, dashed almost through the midst of the enemy 

 and concealed himself in the dense guarango thickets in the valley 

 along the Rio de lea, near the village of San Juan, and so escaped 

 from this mortal danger. 



1612. Thereafter he continued with His Majesty's forces, following 

 the rebel across El Collao, until they besieged him in the Pucara, 

 where he fortified himself and defended himself valiantly for several 

 days, during which they had lively encounters with each other, in 

 which Capt. Hernando de Cifontes won great distinction. Finally 

 the rebel was overpowered and forced to take flight ; then also he 

 followed him up, in company with Gen. Pablo de Meneses and other 

 officers, until, in the village of Yauri, he personally captured and 

 handed over some of the rebels. Three of those most deeply impli- 

 cated were executed ; the others were turned over to this Hernando 

 de Cifontes, in view of the great confidence they had in him, until 

 he delivered them in the village of Quiquijana. Then he went ahead 

 in search and pursuit of the rebel until he was caught and executed 

 And since it would appear that I have deviated from my chief pur- 

 pose, which is, to describe the provinces, in that I have just related 

 the deeds of these so valiant knights whose memories deserve to 

 be immortalized, let me say that the villages of Urcosuio and Ayaviri, 

 which belong to the Corregimiento and Province of Cabana and 

 Cabanilla, are the last within the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court 

 of Lima and where it touches that of the Circuit Court of the 

 Charcas ; the Dioceses of Cuzco and of La Paz meet at the Province 

 of Paucarcolla. 



