A Great Idea
Gold, jewels, spices, and costly woods, in fact much of the stupendous wealth of Spanish America, flowed yearly into Lima, “the City of the Kings” in Peru, on the Pacific, the city founded by Pizarro the gold-hunter.
Triumphantly, Lima lifted the picturesque towers and domes of her palaces, convents, monasteries, and religious schools, and of her ancient cathedral, for Lima ruled not only the Pacific coast of Spanish America, but the whole of Spanish America as well. She was the centre of Spain’s power, strength, religion, and wealth in the New World. There, with pomp and pageant, lived the most influential of the Spanish Viceroys, whose word was law. From Lima went forth Spain’s armies to crush the Patriots in Argentina and Chile.
So long as Spain should hold Lima, the Patriot cause would be hopeless. On the other hand, if Lima might be taken by the Patriots, then the stronghold of Spanish tyranny would be destroyed.
So thought San Martin; and he began to lay plans to capture Lima, although the city was seemingly inaccessible and lay beyond the Andes Mountains far to the northwest on the Pacific Coast.
The Argentine Government transferred San Martin to the Province of Cuyo, and made him its Governor. There in the lovely city of Mendoza, the city of vineyards, at the very foot of the Andes, he set about raising revenues, and training and equipping an army—a small but strong army of devoted men.
But how to reach Lima? questioned San Martin to himself. Any attempt to lead the army northward to Upper Peru, and over the Andes to Lima, was sure to bring down upon the small body of Patriots, Spain’s seasoned troops who held Upper Peru and a part of Argentina.
The only way, thought San Martin, is to cross the Andes, drive the Spaniards out of Chile, then joining our forces with those of the Chilean Patriots, go by sea to Lima, and take her from Spain. Peru will yield, and our continent will be free!