Joaquin Murrieta

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Lore & Background

Most biographical sources hold that Murrieta was born in Hermosillo in the northwestern state of Sonora, Mexico. Historian Frank Forrest Latta wrote that Murrieta was from the Pueblo de Murrieta on the Rancho Tapizuelas, across the Cuchujaqui River, in what is now the Álamos Municipality of Sonora. He was educated at a school nearby in El Salado. Murrieta reportedly went to California in 1849 to seek his fortune in the California Gold Rush, traveling with a large family expedition including his new wife Rosa Feliz, his younger brother Jesus Murrieta, stepbrothers, cousins, and other men from Pueblo de Murrieta. The only source for the account that American miners beat him and raped his wife is the dime novel by John Rollin Ridge. Historian Latta wrote that Murrieta formed a gang with well-organized bands, engaging in illegal horse trade with Mexico, driving herds of stolen horses via the La Vereda del Monte trail through the Diablo Range, then south to Sonora for sale. The gang is believed to have killed up to 28 Chinese and 13 Anglo-Americans, based on accounts of their raids in early 1853.

Reader's Guide

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.' John Rollin Ridge's dime novel contributed to his legend, especially as it was translated into various European languages; a French version was translated into Spanish by Roberto Hyenne, who changed every 'Mexican' reference to 'Chilean'. Early 20th-century writer Johnston McCulley was said to have based his character Don Diego de la Vega—better known as Zorro—on Ridge's 1854 novel about Murrieta. On July 25, 1853, a group of California Rangers encountered a band of armed Mexican men near Arroyo de Cantua; they killed three, claiming one was Murrieta and another Manuel Garcia, also known as Three-Fingered Jack. The Rangers cut off the hand of Three-Fingered Jack and the alleged head of Murrieta, preserving them in a jar of alcohol to claim their reward. His preserved head was destroyed during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire. Murrieta's nephew, known as Procopio, became one of California's most notorious bandits of the 1860s and 1870s, said to have wanted to exceed the reputation of his uncle.

Did You Know?

• The novel *The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta* (1854) by John Rollin Ridge is the only source for the account that American miners beat Murrieta and raped his wife.
• The California State Legislature listed Murrieta as one of the so-called 'Five Joaquins' in a bill passed in May 1853.
• The Rangers cut off the hand of Three-Fingered Jack and the alleged head of Murrieta, preserving them in a jar of alcohol to claim their reward.
• Murrieta's preserved head was destroyed during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire.
• Early 20th-century writer Johnston McCulley was said to have based his character Zorro on Ridge's 1854 novel about Murrieta.