Sky Arte explores real-life inspirations behind Zorro character

The third episode of the series "Il mio nome è leggenda" on Sky Arte, hosted by actress Matilda De Angelis, airs Tuesday, December 14, investigating the historical figure behind Zorro. The character first appeared in 1919 in the comic "All Story Weekly" as Don Diego de la Vega. The episode focuses on Joaquin Murrieta, born in Sonora, Tuolumne County, in 1829, who joined his uncle Claudio Feliz, an escaped convict leading a brutal outlaw gang. Despite historical records depicting Murrieta as a ruthless bandit, folk legends transformed him into a peaceful man seeking vengeance after an unjust accusation. These tales inspired poet and journalist John Rollin Ridge, who wrote "The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murrieta, The Celebrated California Bandit" in 1854, a book that sold well and mythologized Murrieta's story.