Joaquin Murrieta Carrillo (sometimes misspelled Murieta or Murietta) (c. 1829 – July 25, 1853), also called the Robin Hood of the West or the Robin Hood of El Dorado, was a Mexican figure of disputed historicity. The novel '' The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta: The Celebrated California Bandit'' (1854) by

John Rollin Ridge John Rollin Ridge (Cherokee name: Cheesquatalawny, or Yellow Bird, March 19, 1827 – October 5, 1867), a member of the Cherokee Nation, is considered the first Native American novelist. After moving to California in 1850, he began to write ...

is ostensibly his story. Legends subsequently arose about a notorious

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

during the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

of the 1850s, but evidence for a historical Murrieta is scarce. Contemporary documents record testimony in 1852 concerning a minor horse thief of that name. Newspapers reported a '' bandido'' named Joaquin, who robbed and killed several people during the same time. A California Ranger named Harry Love was assigned to track down Murrieta and was said to have brought his head in for the bounty. The popular legend of Joaquin Murrieta was that he was a forty-niner, a gold miner and a ''

vaquero The ''vaquero'' (; , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in what what is today Mexico (then New Spain) and Spanish Florida from a method brought to the Americ ...

'' (cowboy) from

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

. Peace loving, he was driven to revenge after he and his brother were falsely accused of stealing a mule. His brother was hanged and Murrieta was horse-whipped. His young wife was raped, and in one version, she died in Murrieta's arms. Swearing revenge, he hunted down the men who had violated her. He embarked on a short but violent career to kill his

Anglo Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people of British d ...

tormentors. The state of California offered a reward up to $5,000 for Murrieta, "dead or alive."

Controversy over his life

Controversy surrounds the figure of Joaquin Murrieta—who he was, what he did, and many of his life's events. Historian Susan Lee Johnson says:

"So many tales have grown up around Murrieta that it is hard to disentangle the fabulous from the factual. There seems to be a consensus that Anglos drove him from a rich mining claim, and that, in rapid succession, his wife was raped, his half-brother
lynched Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged or convicted transgressor or to intimidate others. It can also be an extreme form of in ...
, and Murrieta himself horse-whipped. He may have worked as a
monte Monte may refer to: Places Argentina * Argentine Monte, an ecoregion * Monte Desert * Monte Partido, a ''partido'' in Buenos Aires Province Italy * Monte Bregagno * Monte Cassino * Montecorvino (disambiguation) * Montefalcione Portugal * M ...
dealer for a time; then, according to whichever version one accepts, he became either a horse trader and occasional horse thief, or a bandit."

, grandson of

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

leader

Major Ridge The Ridge, later known as Major Ridge (c. 1771 – 22 June 1839; known in Cherokee as ''Nunnehidihi'', and later ''Ganundalegi'' []) was a Cherokee leader, a member of the tribal council, and a lawmaker. As a warrior, he fought in the Cheroke ...

, wrote a dime novel about Murrieta. This fictional account contributed to his legend, especially as it was translated into various European languages. A portion of Ridge's novel was reprinted in 1858 in the ''California Police Gazette''. This story was picked up and subsequently translated into French. The French version was translated into Spanish by Roberto Hyenne, who took Ridge's original story and changed every "Mexican" reference to "Chilean". Early 20th-century writer

Johnston McCulley John William Johnston McCulley (February 2, 1883 – November 23, 1958) was an American writer of hundreds of stories, fifty novels and numerous screenplays for film and television, and the creator of the character Zorro. Biography Born i ...

was said to have based his character Don Diego de la Vega—better known as

Zorro Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American Pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashin ...

in his 1919 novel of that name—on Ridge's 1854 novel about Murrieta.

Early life and education

Most biographical sources hold that Murrieta was born in

Hermosillo Hermosillo (), formerly called Pitic (as in ''Santísima Trinidad del Pitic'' and ''Presidio del Pitic''), is a city in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the municipal seat of the Hermosillo municipality, the state's ...

"Review: ''Roaring Camp: The Social World of the California Gold Rush''", ''American Scholar'', January 1, 2000, p. 142 Vol. 69 No. 1 . in the northwestern state of Sonora, Mexico. Historian

Frank Forrest Latta Frank Forrest Latta (1892–1983), was a California historian and ethnographer of the Yokuts people. He also wrote histories of the early European-American settlement of the San Joaquin Valley. Early life Frank Forrest Latta was the son of Presby ...

wrote ''Joaquín Murrieta and His Horse Gangs'' (1980) based on decades of investigation of the Murrieta family in Sonora, California, and Texas. He said that Murrieta was from the Pueblo de Murrieta on the

Rancho Tapizuelas Casanate, is a village in Álamos Municipality in the Mexican state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. It is 48.5 kilometers south southeast of Álamos and 26.7 kilometers Northwest of El Fuerte, in Sinaloa. It lies on the left bank of the Rio Cuc ...

, across the Cuchujaqui River (known locally as the Arroyo de osÁlamos). This was north of Casanate, in the southeast of Sonora and near the

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales. It is located in northwest Mexic ...

border, within what is now the

Álamos Municipality Álamos is a Municipalities of Sonora, municipality in south-western Sonora, Mexico. It includes the town of Álamos. It is one of the 72 municipalities of the state of Sonora, located in the southeastern part of the state. Its municipal seat is t ...

, of Sonora. Murrieta was educated at a school nearby in

El Salado El Salado is a town in the municipality of Álamos in the Mexican state of Sonora. It is south southeast of Álamos and northwest of El Fuerte, in Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico Ci ...

1849 migration to California

Murrieta reportedly went to California in 1849 to seek his fortune in the California Gold Rush. His older Carrillo stepbrother Joaquin Manuel Carrillo Murrieta, who was already in California, had written him about the discovery of gold and urged him to come. Like many Sonorans, Murrieta and a party including his new wife Rosa Feliz, traveled there across the

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

and

Colorado Desert The Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert located in California, United States, and Baja California, Mexico. It encompasses approximately , including the heavily irrigated Coachella, Imperial and Mexicali valleys. It is home to ...

s in 1849. This large family expedition included Joaquin's younger brother (Jesus Murrieta); Jesus Carrillo Murrieta, his other Carrillo stepbrother; three Feliz brothers-in-law (Claudio, Reyes, and Jesus); two Murrieta cousins (Joaquin Juan and Martin Murrieta; four Valenzuela cousins (including Joaquin, Theodoro, and Jesus Valenzuela); two Duarte cousins (Antonio and Manuel); and a few other men from Pueblo de Murrieta or nearby.

Five Joaquins Gang

Murrieta encountered prejudice and hostility in the extreme competition of the rough mining camps. While mining for gold, his wife and he were supposedly attacked by American miners jealous of his success. They allegedly beat him and raped his wife. However, the only source for this account was a dime novel, ''

The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta ''The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta: The Celebrated California Bandit'' (1854) was published by John Rollin Ridge, writing as "Yellow Bird". It is considered to be one of the first novels written in California and the first novel to ...

'', written by

and published in 1854. Historian Latta wrote that Murrieta formed a gang, with well-organized bands, one led by himself and the rest led by one or two of his trusted Sonoran relatives. Latta documented that the core of these men had gathered to help Murrieta kill at least six of the Americans who had lynched his stepbrother Jesus Carrillo and whipped him on the false charge of the theft of a mule. The gang began to engage in illegal horse trade with Mexico, using stolen horses and legally captured mustangs. They drove herds of stolen horses from as far north as

Contra Costa County Contra Costa County (; ''Contra Costa'', Spanish language, Spanish for 'Opposite Coast') is a U.S. county, county located in the U.S. state of California, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the ...

, the gold camps of the Sierras, and the Central Valley via the remote

La Vereda del Monte La Vereda del Monte (Spanish for "The Mountain Trail") was a backcountry route through remote regions of the Diablo Range, one of the California Coast Ranges. La Vereda del Monte was the upper part of La Vereda Caballo, (Spanish for "The Horse Tr ...

trail through the

Diablo Range The Diablo Range is a mountain range in the California Coast Ranges subdivision of the Pacific Coast Ranges in northern California, United States. It stretches from the eastern San Francisco Bay Area at its northern end to the Salinas Valley a ...

, then south to Sonora for sale.Frank F. Latta, ''Joaquin Murrueta and His Horse Gangs,'' Santa Cruz, California: Bear State Books,1980. xv, 685 pages. At other times, the bands robbed and killed miners or American settlers, particularly those returning from the California goldfields. The gang is believed to have killed up to 28 Chinese and 13 Anglo-Americans. This figure is based on accounts of their raids in early 1853.

The death of Joaquin Murrieta

By 1853, the California state legislature listed Murrieta as one of the so-called " Five Joaquins", suspected criminals in a bill passed in May 1853. The legislature authorized hiring for three months a company of 20 California Rangers, veterans of the Mexican War, to hunt down "the five Joaquins, whose names are Joaquin Muriati ic Joaquin Ocomorenia, Joaquin Valenzuela, Joaquin Botellier, and Joaquin Carillo, and their banded associates."The Statutes of California passed at the Fourth Session of the Legislature, George Kerr, State Printer, 1853, p. 194 An Act to Create a Company of Rangers
/ref> On May 11, 1853, the

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

John Bigler John Bigler (January 8, 1805November 29, 1871) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, he served as the third governor of California from 1852 to 1856 and was the first California governor to ...

, signed an act to create the "California State Rangers," to be led by Captain Harry Love (a former Texas Ranger and Mexican War veteran).The state paid the California Rangers $150 a month, and promised them a $1,000 governor's reward if they captured the wanted men. On July 25, 1853, a group of rangers encountered a band of armed Mexican men near Arroyo de Cantua on the edge of the Diablo Range near Coalinga. In the confrontation, three of the Mexicans were killed. The rangers claimed one of the dead was Murrieta, and another Manuel Garcia, also known as Three-Fingered Jack, one of his most notorious associates. Two others were captured. A

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...

plaque has been installed near Coalinga at the intersection of State Routes 33 and

198 __NOTOC__ Year 198 (CXCVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Gallus (or, less frequently, year 951 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 198 fo ...

to mark the approximate site of the incident. As proof of the outlaws' deaths, the Rangers cut off the hand of Three-Fingered Jack, and the alleged head of Murrieta. They preserved these in a jar of

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

to bring to the authorities to claim their reward. Officials displayed the jar of remains in Mariposa County, Stockton, and

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. The rangers took the display throughout California; spectators could pay $1 to see the relics. Love and his rangers received the $1,000 reward money. In August 1853, an anonymous Los Angeles-based man wrote to the ''San Francisco Alta California Daily'', claiming that Love and his rangers had murdered some innocent Mexican

mustang The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticate ...

catchers, and bribed people to swear out affidavits as to their identities. On May 28, 1854, the California State Legislature voted to reward the Rangers with another $5,000 (~$ in ) for their defeat of Murrieta and his band.WPA, "California State Rangers: History"
1940, California State Military Museum, accessed August 7, 2011 Some 25 years later, myths began to form about Murrieta. In 1879, O. P. Stidger reportedly heard Murrieta's sister say that the displayed head was not her brother's. At around the same time, numerous sightings were reported of Murrieta as a middle-aged man. These were never confirmed. His preserved head was destroyed during the

1906 San Francisco earthquake At 05:12 AM Pacific Time Zone, Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated Moment magnitude scale, moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli inte ...

and subsequent fire. Murrieta's nephew, known as Procopio, became one of California's most notorious bandits of the 1860s and 1870s. He was said to have wanted to exceed the reputation of his uncle.

The Real Zorro

Murrieta is believed to have inspired the fictional character of ''

'', the lead character in the five-part serial story, ''

The Curse of Capistrano ''The Curse of Capistrano'' is a 1919 novel by Johnston McCulley and the first work to feature the Californio character Don Diego de la Vega, the masked hero also called Zorro. It first appeared as a five-part magazine serial. The story was adap ...

'', written by

, and published in 1919 in a

pulp fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...

magazine. For some political activists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Murrieta has symbolized Mexican resistance against

White Anglo-Saxon Protestant In the United States, White Anglo-Saxon Protestants or Wealthy Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASP) is a Sociology, sociological term which is often used to describe White Americans, white Protestantism in the United States, Protestant Americans of E ...

domination of California, as Spanish colonists, Native Americans, ''mixtos'', and independent Mexicans were there first. The "Association of Descendants of Joaquin Murrieta" says that Murrieta was not a "''gringo'' eater", but "He wanted to retrieve the part of Mexico that was lost at that time in the

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ended the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). It was signed on 2 February 1848 in the town of Villa de Guadalupe, Mexico City, Guadalupe Hidalgo. After the defeat of its army and the fall of the cap ...

" (after the Mexican-American War).

Representations in media

Joaquin Murrieta has been used frequently as a romantic outlaw figure in novels, stories, and comics, and in films and TV series.

Literature

Joaquin Miller Cincinnatus Heine Miller ( ; September 8, 1837 – February 17, 1913), better known by his pen name Joaquin Miller ( ), was an American poet, author, and frontiersman. He became known as the "Poet of the Sierras" after the Sierra Nevada, about wh ...

, ''Songs of the Sierras'' (1871) * Louis Kretschman, ''Trail of Vengeance'' (1977) *

, ''

'' (1854): Parts of this were translated into French and Spanish. * * Yellow Bird (John Rollin Ridge), The Life and Adventures of JOAQUIN MURIETA, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 1955. With introduction by Joseph Henry Jackson, a reprint of the only known copy of the 1854 original book by John Rollin Ridge. * Chilean Nobel laureate

Pablo Neruda Pablo Neruda ( ; ; born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto; 12 July 190423 September 1973) was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 13 years old an ...

's play ''Fulgor y Muerte de Joaquín Murieta'', (tr. ''The Splendor and Death of Joaquin Murieta'' by Ben Belitt, 1972) * Robert Gaillard, ''L'Homme aux Mains de Cuir'' (''The Man with the Leather Hands'') (1963 in French) *

Isabel Allende Isabel Angélica Allende Llona (; born 2 August 1942) is a Chilean-American writer. Allende, whose works sometimes contain aspects of the magical realism genre, is known for novels such as '' The House of the Spirits'' (''La casa de los espír ...

, '' Daughter of Fortune'' (1999), includes the mythical figure of Murrieta. *

Alexei Rybnikov Alexey Lvovich Rybnikov (; born July 17, 1945) is a modern Russian composer. He is the author of music for Soviet and Russian musicals (rock operas) ''The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta'' (, 1976) and ''Juno and Avos (opera), Juno and Avos' ...

and Pavel Grushko's opera, ''Звезда и смерть Хоакина Мурьеты'' (''Zvezda i smert' Khoakina Mur'ety'' – ''The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta''), 1976, is based on

's play. *

Sid Fleischman Albert Sidney Fleischman (born Avron Zalmon Fleischman; March 16, 1920 – March 17, 2010) was an American people, American author of children's books, screenplays, novels for adults, and nonfiction books about stage magic (illusion), magic. His ...

,
Bandit's Moon
', (1998), children's novel. * T. Jefferson Parker's novel ''L.A. Outlaws'' (2008), features Murietta as an ancestor of some of the main characters.
"The History & Adventures of the Bandit Joaquin Murietta"
(2012) a novella by Stanley Moss (b. 1948), retelling the legend of the outlaw intertwined with a memoir
"This is a Suit"
– a slam poem by Joaquin Zihuatanejo. * "The California Trail" by Ralph Compton, a small part in chapters 22 and 23 *In ''Sunset Specters'' by Gary Jonas, the purported head of Joaquin Murrieta was preserved in a jar at Doctor Jordan’s Museum of Horrors in San Francisco in the late-1800s. * Jeffrey J. Mariotte and Peter Murrieta, ''Blood and Gold: The Legend of Joaquin Murrieta'' (2021). Written by one of Murrieta's own descendants, the novel tells the story of how Joaquin Murrieta grew to become a legend.

Film, radio, and TV

* Timeless, United States NBC TV series, Season 2, Episode.11, "Miracle of Christmas p.1-2, Season Finale, Dec.20, 2018, TV-PG, 2 hours runtime, During Part 1., Murrieta is played by Paul Lincoln Alayo. He assists the Team to obtain Gold at the onset of the California Goldrush* ** Rawhide, United States CBS TV Series, May 3, 1963, episode "Incident of White Eyes" with

Nehemiah Persoff Nehemiah Persoff (; August 2, 1919 – April 5, 2022) was an American actor and painter. He appeared in more than 200 television series, films, and theatre productions, and also performed as a voice artist in a career spanning 55 years. His fir ...

as Domingo, suspected to be Joaquin Murrieta * '' The Robin Hood of El Dorado'', 1936 film by William A. Wellman with

Warner Baxter Warner Leroy Baxter (March 29, 1889 – May 7, 1951) was an American film actor from the 1910s to the 1940s. Baxter is known for his role as the Cisco Kid in the 1928 film ''In Old Arizona'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor at ...

in the leading role. * '' Family Theater'' radio program, June 21, 1950 broadcast, "Joaquin Murietta" with

Ricardo Montalbán Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG ( ; ; November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican and American film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became widely known for performances ...

as the title character. * '' The Bandit Queen'', 1950 film by

William Berke William A. Berke (October 3, 1903 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – February 15, 1958 in Los Angeles, California) was an American film director, film producer, actor and screenwriter. He wrote, directed, and/or produced some 200 films over a three-dec ...

with

Phillip Reed Phillip Reed (born Milton LeRoy; March 25, 1908 – December 7, 1996) was an American actor. He played Steve Wilson in a series of four films (1947–1948) based on the '' Big Town'' radio series. Early years Reed was a star athlete at Er ...

as Murrieta. * ''

The Adventures of Kit Carson ''The Adventures of Kit Carson'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that aired from 1951 to 1955 and consisted of 104 episodes. While airing, the show was shown in over 130 markets and was sold to the Coca-Cola Bott ...

'', 1951 series television premiere episode, "California Bandits", with

Rico Alaniz Americo Zorilla "Rico" Alaniz (October 25, 1919 – March 9, 2015) was a Mexican-American actor. Early years Alaniz was born in Juárez, Mexico, and began riding when he was a child. Selected filmography * '' The Capture'' (1950) - Policema ...

as Murrietta. * ''

The Man Behind the Gun ''The Man Behind the Gun'' is a 1953 American Western film about the establishment of the city of Los Angeles. It was directed by Felix Feist and stars Randolph Scott.

'', (1953 film) Murrieta aids an undercover army officer fight insurrectionists who want Southern California to secede and become a slave state in 1850s Los Angeles. Robert Cabal as Joaquin Murrieta * ''

Stories of the Century ''Stories of the Century'' is a 39-episode Western (genre), Western historical fiction television series starring Jim Davis (actor), Jim Davis that ran in Broadcast syndication, syndication through Republic Pictures between 1954 and 1955. Synop ...

'', 1954 television series, episode "Joaquin Murrieta" with

Rick Jason Rick Jason (born Richard Jacobson; May 21, 1923 – October 16, 2000) was an American actor. He is most remembered for starring in the ABC television drama '' Combat!'' (1962–1967). Early life and education Jason was born Richard Jacobson in ...

in the starring role Capistrano2

* ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American Western (genre), Western anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was ...

'', long running television and radio Western anthology series, episodes "I Am Joaquin" (1955) with Cliff Fields (credited as Field) as Murrieta; and "Eagle in the Rocks" (1960) with

playing Murrieta. * '' The Last Rebel'' a 1958 Mexican film with Carlos Thompson as Murrieta. * '' The Firebrand'' a 1962 film with

Valentin de Vargas Valentin de Vargas (born Albert Charles Schubert; April 27, 1935 – June 10, 2013) was an American actor known for appearing in films in the 1950s and 1960s. Two of his prominent roles were as a gangster threatening Janet Leigh in Orson Welles' ...

as Murrieta. * '' Murieta'', a 1965 Spanish Western directed by

George Sherman George Sherman (July 14, 1908 – March 15, 1991) was an American film director and Film producer, producer of low-budget Western (genre), Western films. One obituary said his "credits rival in number those of anyone in the entertainment indus ...

with

Jeffrey Hunter Jeffrey Hunter (born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr.; November 25, 1926 – May 27, 1969) was an American film and television actor and producer known for his roles in films such as ''The Searchers'' and ''King of Kings (1961 film), King of Ki ...

as Murrieta. * ''

The Big Valley ''The Big Valley'' is an American Western television series that originally aired from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969 on ABC. The series is set on the fictional Barkley Ranch in Stockton, California, from 1884 to 1888. The one-hour epis ...

'', United States ABC TV Series, 1967, episode "Joaquin" with

Fabrizio Mioni Fabrizio Mioni (September 23, 1930 – 8 June 2020) was an Italian actor. He appeared in the films '' Roland the Mighty'', ''Hercules'', ''The Blue Angel'', '' Get Yourself a College Girl'', ''Girl Happy'', '' The Venetian Affair'', ''The Secret ...

as Juan Molina, suspected to be Joaquin Murrieta * '' Desperate Mission'', United States Television Movie, 1969, with

as Joaquin Murrieta * '' Faces of Death II'', 1981 fake documentary film about death. Murrieta's head in the jar was believed to have survived the earthquake, and was sold to different collectors; its current "owner" has it on display, and explains the legend. However, the head is a wax fake that was formerly on display in the now-closed Almaden Museum in San Jose. * '' The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta'', a 1982 Soviet musical drama film with Andrey Kharitonov as Murrieta. * ''

The Mask of Zorro ''The Mask of Zorro'' is a 1998 American Western swashbuckler film based on the fictional character Zorro by Johnston McCulley. Directed by Martin Campbell from a screenplay by John Eskow, Ted Elliott, and Terry Rossio, it stars Anto ...

'' (1998 film) features a youthful Joaquin Murrieta and his death at the hands of Captain Harrison Love (A Fictionalized version of Murrieta's real killer Harry Love). Joaquin's fictional brother Alejandro (

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received numerous accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award ...

) assumes the role of Zorro, and kills Love in revenge. Victor Rivers played Joaquin and

Matt Letscher Matt Letscher is an American actor, director and playwright, known for his roles as Captain Harrison Love in '' The Mask of Zorro'' and Colonel Adelbert Ames in '' Gods and Generals''. He co-starred in '' 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Bengh ...

played Capt. Love. * Murrieta is referenced in '' CSI'' S05E12 "Snakes" by a suspect claiming to be his descendant and therefore protected by him. * ''Behind The Mask of Zorro'' (2005) a

History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...

documentary about Murrieta and how he inspired the character of

. * ''The Head of Joaquin Murrieta'', (2015) PBS short-documentary. As producer John Valadez seeks the head of Murrieta, and seeks to bury it. * '' Timeless'', (2018) in the first half of the two-part series finale "The Miracle of Christmas". Murrieta is played by Paul Lincoln Alayo. * ''The Head of Joaquin Murrieta'' (''La cabeza de Joaquín Murrieta''), (2023)

Amazon Studios Amazon MGM Studios is an American film and television production and distribution company owned by Amazon, and headquartered at the Culver Studios complex in Culver City, California. Launched on November 16, 2010, it took its current name on O ...

series, made in Mexico. * ''Blood & Gold'', (2022–2023)

Realm A realm is a community or territory over which a sovereign rules. The term is commonly used to describe a monarchical or dynastic state. A realm may also be a subdivision within an empire, if it has its own monarch, e.g. the German Empire. Etymo ...

fictionalized podcast series chronicling Murrieta's life and career.

Comics

* ''Joaquin Murrieta'' in ''Desperado'' #2, Lev Gleason, Aug 1948, art by Dan Barry * In 1950, Joaquin Murietta appears on

comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...

Casey Ruggles ''Casey Ruggles'' is a Western comic strip written and drawn by Warren Tufts that ran from May 22, 1949, to October 30, 1955. Publication history The Sunday strip was launched May 22, 1949, and the daily strip on September 19, 1949.

Warren Tufts Chester Warren Tufts (December 12, 1925 – July 6, 1982),Chester Tufts

Avon Periodicals, May 1952, art by Howard Larsen * ''The California Terror!'' in ''Badmen of the West'' #2 -1 #120

Magazine Enterprises Magazine Enterprises was an American comic book publishing company lasting from 1943 to 1958, which published primarily Western, humor, crime, adventure, and children's comics, with virtually no superheroes. It was founded by Vin Sullivan, an ed ...

, 1954 * ''The Fabled Killer-Caballero Of California'' in ''Western True Crime #4'',

Fox Feature Syndicate Fox Feature Syndicate (also known as Fox Comics, Fox Publications, and Bruns Publications, Inc.) was a comic book publisher from early in the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Founded by entrepreneur Victor S. ...

, Feb 1949

Music

* "Así Como Hoy Matan Negros," recorded by

Víctor Jara Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez (; 28 September 1932 – 16 September 1973) was a Chilean teacher, theatre director, theater director, poet, singer-songwriter and PCCh, Communist political activist. He developed Chilean theater by directing a bro ...

and Inti-illimani, based on

and Sergio Ortega's collaboration ''Fulgor y Muerte de Joaquín Murieta''. * "Cueca de Joaquín Murieta" recorded by both

and

Quilapayún Quilapayún () are a folk music group from Chile and among the longest lasting and most influential ambassadors of the ''Nueva canción, Nueva Canción Chilena'' movement and genre. Formed during the mid-1960s, the group became inseparable with t ...

, in the style of Chile's national dance, the

cueca Cueca () is a family of musical styles and associated dances from Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. In Chile, the cueca holds the status of national dance, where it was officially declared as such by the Pinochet dictatorship on September 18, 19 ...

– the song is featured on the album X Vietnam * "Premonición de la Muerte de Joaquin Murieta" (Premonition of the death of Joaquin Murieta), a tribute to Murrieta, performed by

– the song is featured on the album Quilapayun Chante Neruda * "The Ballad of Joaquin Murrieta", performed by the Sons of the San Joaquin on the album '' Way Out Yonder''. * "The Bandit Joaquin" recorded by Dave Stamey * “Archangel, The Murderer” performed by Long Island Folk Pop group Fortune & Spirits, opening track to the album “ Harbor Lights Lead Home” * "Murieta's Last Ride" and "Rosita", recorded by

Beat Circus Beat Circus is a band from Boston, Massachusetts, US, fronted by the multi-instrumentalist / singer-songwriter Brian Carpenter, who has been its only constant member since its inception. Musical style The band's songs are characterized by lush ...

on the album ''These Wicked Things'' * "Murrietta's Head" written and recorded by

Dave Alvin David Albert Alvin (born November 11, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He is a former and founding member of the roots rock band the Blasters. Alvin has recorded and performed as a solo artist since the late 1980s ...

on the album '' Eleven Eleven'' * "Joaquin Murietta" by Spectra Paris * "Joaquin Murrieta, 1853" by Bob Frank & John Murry * "Corrido de Joaquin Murrieta" by Los Alegres de Terán * "Stella Ireland and Lady Luck" by American folk singer/songwriter/guitarist Debby McClatchy * "Adios Querrida" recorded by Wayne Austin on the album "By the Old San Joaquin" * "The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta", a 1976 rock opera by Alexey Rybnikov, based on "Fulgor y muerte de Joaquín Murieta" by

. * "Del Gato" recorded by Gene Clark and Carla Olson, from the album So Rebellious a Lover, 1987, written by Gene Clark/Rick Clark * "La Leyenda de Joaquin Murieta" ballet by Jose Luis Dominguez (Chilean composer/conductor). Released by

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...

in 2016. * "Fulgor y muerte de Joaquín Murieta" recorded by Olga Manzano and Manuel Picón, based on

, in 1974. Joaquin Murrieta (comics) page 1.jpg, ''Joaquin Murrieta'' (Aug 1948), art by Dan Barry. Death to Gringos page 1.jpg, ''Death to Gringos!'' (May 1952), art by Howard Larsen. In the late 20th century a Los Angeles Chicano community center was named Centro Joaquin Murrieta de Aztlan.

References

External links

Picacho

"Mystery of the decapitated Joaquin"
''Benicia News''

Biographic Notes, Inn-California
Jill L. Cossley-Batt, ''The Last of the California Rangers''
(1928)

Straight Dope
''American Mythmaker: Walter Noble Burns and the Legends of Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, and Joaquín Murrieta''
by Mark J. Dworkin, University of Oklahoma Press, 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Murrieta, Joaquin Mexican outlaws Mexican folklore Chilean folklore American folklore People from Sonora Mexican emigrants to the United States Gunslingers of the American Old West People of the California Gold Rush 1820s births 1853 deaths Pleasanton, California Latin American folklore Outlaws of the American Old West Five Joaquins Gang Tall tales Racially motivated violence against white Americans North American people whose existence is disputed