Such was the victorious outcome of the battle of Ayacucho, which has been pronounced the most brilliant ever fought in South America, on account of the splendid discipline of the troops, the skill and daring of the officers, the presence of the ablest chiefs and highest representatives of both the opposing forces, and the undaunted bravery of the entire army on both sides. It is said that the viceroy’s mistake lay in making any attack at all, but that he was impelled to it by the eagerness of his troops, tired of their long marches. After the victory, Huamanga received the name of Ayacucho. By the terms of the capitulation the Spanish officers were given their passports, and many of them set out for Spain immediately. The victory put an end to Spanish dominion in South America, the Viceroy La Serna recognizing, by his signature to the capitulation, the absolute independence of Peru. The subsequent history of the Republic is a record of the progress and development of a nation which had to learn the lesson of self-government after having been for centuries accustomed to give unquestioning allegiance to an absolute monarch, under a system that gave all honor to military prestige and social rank, and regarded as unworthy of consideration any human rights that were based on liberty, equality or fraternity. [Illustration: ARMS OF PERU AT THE TIME OF THE INDEPENDENCE.] CHAPTER IX PERU UNDER REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT [Illustration: MONUMENT DOS DE MAYO.] The Independence of Peru was the crowning glory of the Spanish-American revolution. Here, in the heart and centre of colonial monarchism, where the very existence of society seemed to be threatened in the event of a change of government, and the vigilance of the authorities was so active that a single word in favor of liberty, spoken in an unguarded moment, was sufficient to place its author under the fatal ban of the Holy Office, the patriotic spirit had, nevertheless, grown and developed, awaiting only a fair chance to dominate an overpowering environment. The Viceroy Pezuela realized the force of national sentiment when he hesitated to send his troops against General San Martin at Huaura, although the royalist army then at his command numbered eight thousand men, and he had every advantage over the precarious position of the patriots. The defection of the “Numancia” regiment, following on the capture of the _Esmeralda_ and the victory of Cerro de Pasco, seemed to overwhelm the Spanish authorities with a sense of insecurity, as if they realized that these reverses signified a more powerful force at work to destroy the government than was apparent in the small army of the Liberator.