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El Zorro is a well-known character and is instantaneously recognizable. He was a fighter for justice and protects the weak against the strong, a Robin Hood figure. This character has become something of a cultural figure, especially in California. Moreover, the character has been very influential in the development of the ‘super-hero’ genre. It is generally accepted that the Californian outlaw inspired the creation of Batman. The character also inspired many other well-known figures in ‘pulp fiction’ works, cartoons, and comics. Like many popular fictional heroes, the figure of Zorro was based on a real-life or historical figure. Below is a discussion of the candidates that inspired the character of the Californian hero.

[[File: Zorro One.jpg |200px|thumb|left|The cover of the first Zorro novel]]

Zorro was created by the pulp-fiction writer Johnston McCulley (1883-1958). He was a prolific author and wrote hundreds of short stories and novels. In 1919, he wrote the book The Curse of Capistrano, which introduced Zorro, to the world . McCulley did not intend to write any more works based on the Californian character. The book was bought by a Hollywood studio who made a movie based on the novel, called the Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks, a superstar at the time <ref>Curtis, Sandra. Zorro Unmasked: The Official History (LA, Hyperion, 1998), p. 12</ref>. This motion picture was a sensation and Hollywood executives persuaded McCulley to write more stories based on the dashing outlaw. McCulley was to write Zorro stories for almost 40 years. The novel The Curse of Capistrano has sold over 50 million copies and is one of the most commercially successful novels of all time. The Californian hero has appeared in countless books, movies and theatrical productions <ref>Curtis, p. 19</ref>. In recent years there have even been video games based on the famous character.

[[File: Zoro Two.jpg |200px|thumb|left|An artist’s impression of Joaquin Murrieta Carrillo]]