Joaquin Murrieta - The Man Whose Life Provided Inspiration for Zorro

Zorro is one of the icons of 20th century culture. Although he is a fictional character, his story was based on biographies of at least three men: Juan Nepomuceno Cortina, Tiburcio Vasquez, and the most important to the legend – Joaquin Murrieta.

His name was used in the movies with Antonio Banderas, whose character’s surname is Murrieta. Moreover, his son is Joaquin. The premiere of the movies ”The Mask of Zorro” in 1998 and ”The Legend of Zorro” in 2005, brought back to life the legend of Joaquin Murrieta.

The Robin Hood of Mexico

Joaquin Murrieta was born around 1829 in Hermosillo, in the state of Sonora in Mexico. His life took place mostly in California, where he went looking for gold during the California Gold Rush of the 1850s. 

• The Warriors of the Rainbow Prophecy
• Ten Mysterious Examples of Rock Art from the Ancient World

Murrieta faced racism from white Americans, causing him to rebel against society and its rules. He stood up for the rights of the Native American mines and eventually went on to become a very successful miner himself.  This attracted jealously from the white Americans, who raped his wife in revenge, and violently beat him. During this period, there was an illegal trade of horses taking place, which Murrieta joined and his fellow traders helped him to track down and kill most of those responsible for the attack on his wife.