The character of Zorro clearly had a number of inspirations, some literary and some historical. But the proto-Zorro with the deepest mythology is undoubtedly the Mexican bandit Joaquin Murrieta. The outlaw was allegedly a master of disguise who made a sport of taunting his would-be bounty hunters. He was said to have escaped death countless times, while robbing gold and horses from the Americans he had grown to despise. But, for many Joaquin’s remarkable life seemed out of step with his unceremonious death at the hands of the California Rangers. Was Joaquin actually killed in 1853? If not, then whose head did they put in a jar? Tune-in and out how Pathkiller II, a red-headed stranger, and three-fingered work all play a role in the story.

Works Cited

Dworkin, Michael J. American Mythmaker: Walter Noble Burns and the Legends of Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, and Joaquín Murrieta. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 2015.

Niebylski, Dianna C., and Patrick O\’Connor, editors. Latin American Icons : Fame across Borders. Vanderbilt University Press, 2014.

Ridge, John Rollin. The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta, The Celebrated California Bandit. Three Rocks Research, Fresno, California, 2005.

Streeby, Shelley. American Sensations Class, Empire, and the Production of Popular Culture. University of California Press, 2002.

Valadez, John J. “The Lone Ranger Unmasked: Zorro and the Whitewashing of the American Superhero. Filmmaker Essay.” Chiricú, vol. 1, no. 1, 2016, pp. 135–51. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2979/chiricu.1.1.11. Accessed 15 Jan. 2024.