Joaquin Murrieta created by Ezequiel Zuniga The Mexican

Joaquin Murrieta created by Ezequiel Zuniga The Mexican Robin Hood

The Life of Joaquin Murrieta • Joaquin was born in 1829 in Sonoma Mexico • He lived during the time when California became part of the United States • During that time he felt that many Mexicans had unfairly lost their lands, so he fought for justice. • He encountered discrimination and he and his wife were brutally attacked. • Joaquin used the legal system to seek justice but that failed. • As a result he began to take justice into his own hands.

Bandit or a Mexican patriot ? • Murrieta fought for resistance against Anglo-American domination in California. • He fought rich land owners and gave what he took to the poor and less fortunate. • Murrieta started a gang called “The Five Joaquins” they turned to a life of crime and became bandits to some and heroes to others.

• The gang was credited with stealing more than $100, 000 in gold, cattle and over 100 horses • On May 11, 1853, Governor of California John Bigler signed a legislative act creating the "California State Rangers, " led by Captain Harry Love, whose mission was to arrest the Five Joaquins. The California Rangers were paid $150 a month and stood a chance to split a $5000 reward for the

• On July 25, 1853, a group of these rangers killed Joaquin Murrieta • The death of Joaquin Murrieta was hard on the people of California because their hero had been killed. • Joaquin Murrieta later became more popular in death because the people spoke of him as a hero who fought for justice. • Murrieta became immortalized in stories and the character of El Zorro is loosely based on his life.