After his arrival, and after an evaluation of the state of the military, Ribera wrote: "...these people were more poorly disciplined and more uninformed in military things than I ever could have believed." In 1604, he created a permanent army of 1,500 men, paid from royal revenues in Peru, the Real Situado.
Ribera's assessment after his arrival revealed that the inhabitants were less organized and more unfamiliar with military concepts than he had anticipated. He subsequently established a permanent army of 1,500 men in 1604, which was sustained by royal funds in Peru.