[538] =la aproximación del enemigo=. The last secret session of the Congress of Tucumán was held January 17, 1817, when the Spanish forces were advancing from the north, after invading the province of Jujuy. [539] =Lima=, capital of Peru, was founded in 1535 by Pizarro. It was by far the most important South American city during the colonial period. [540] =a quien tocaría=, _whose lot it would be_. [541] =el golpe definitivo=. The battle of Ayacucho (1824), fought between the Spaniards and the combined Colombian and Argentine forces under the command of Sucre, Bolívar's lieutenant, put an end to Spanish domination in South America. As a feat of arms it stands among the most brilliant of those recorded in the annals of South American history. Sucre, though his forces numbered but half those of the Spaniards, completely routed them, capturing about one-third of their army, including La Serna, the commander-in-chief, as well as all their baggage and ammunition. [542] =describiera=. Cf. 66, 16; 223, 16. [543] =Fray Cayetano Rodríguez= (1761-1823), historian of the proceedings at the Congress of Tucumán. As a poet he wrote a sonnet _Al 25 de Mayo_, and versified on other events of his time. [544] =no es de extrañar=, _it is not to be wondered at_. [545] =Se pensó en traer=, _Some thought of bringing_. [546] =San Martín=, =Belgrano=. Cf. 18, 17, and Introduction. [547] =uno de los detractores de la monarquía=. One of the few voices raised against the monarchical idea was that of the deputy Anchorena, but his arguments were so specious that they rather strengthened the supporters of the monarchy. [548] =una mano firme=. Argentina owes in large measure her present republican form of government to Fray Justo de Santa María de Oro, who at the Congress of Tucumán stood out firmly and energetically in behalf of a republic. [549] =la vía=, _i.e._, of democracy. [550] =de aquél=, _i.e._, =del Congreso=. [551] =la larga noche de la anarquía=. The period of internecine struggles, from the expulsion of the Spaniards till the downfall of Rosas and the subsequent adoption of the Federal Constitution. [552] =el _tercero_ del sur=. On rainy days the streets of Buenos Aires were turned into veritable brooks, which were named numerically, first, second, third, etc. [553] =D. Juan María Gutiérrez=. Cf. Biographical Notes, p. liii. [554] =se reducía=. The verb is in the singular because the subjects, =la mesa y el mantenimiento=, are taken to be one and the same thing. [555] =En toda la línea del norte=, _All along the northern boundary_. [556] =prebostes de la Hermandad=. The =Santa Hermandad= was a police institution founded in the fifteenth century in Spain, and carried over into her colonies. Its purpose was to keep the highways and the country clear of robbers. A =preboste= was an officer of the =Hermandad=; he exercised both judicial and police powers.