Calendar. On August 9, 1919, the first part of the story of “The Curse of Capistrano” by Johnston McCulley-also a debut of Zorro, a mysterious defender of the oppressed, appeared in the Pulp “All-Story Weekly” magazine. McCulley drew inspiration from the legendary bandits of California Gold Rushu. The most likely sources are Joaquín Murrieta, the Mexican “Robin Hood of El Dorado”, who went to legend as an avenger of the Latin population towards American expansion. In the legends of Murrieta there were elements that became almost “hooks” connecting him with a later Zorro: a mysterious identity, a fast horse, fencing skills, night performance and retaliation on corrupt officials. In the relationship of the era, his cleverness, the theatrical style of retaliation and the fact that he chose goals so that his actions went to folk stories – exactly as Zorro marked his victories with the characteristic letter “Z”. Another character is Salomón Pico, cousin of the last Mexican governor Pío Pico – a bandit and a folk hero who reportedly broke opponents at night, leaving dramatic traces behind; His story merged with the myth of Zorro through McCulley. Historical context: California of the early nineteenth century was initially a Spanish colony, then part of independent Mexico – society was created by California, Spanish -speaking residents of the region, often owners of vast ranks. After the American-Maxician war (1846–1848) and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, most of these lands passed into the hands of new, English-speaking settlers. California lost their estates, and their social position was devastated – a sense of injustice and occupation grew, which gave birth to the legends about torturers and heroes, such as Murrieta or Pico. The most interesting: the writer did not reveal who was his main inspiration, but there are also less known hypotheses-like Guillén de Lampart, an Irish soldier from the 17th-century Mexico, called “Zorro”, using the mask and leaving the sign “Z”, he fought allegedly for freedom (indigena, black, middle #Zorro #johnsonmcculley #lzorro #Joaquínmurieta #Salomónpico #Guilléndelampart
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