<Tr> <Th> Occupation </Th> <Td> Nobleman Vigilante </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Nationality </Th> <Td> Novohispanic / Mexican </Td> </Tr> <P> Zorro (Spanish for "fox") is the secret identity of Don Diego de la Vega, a fictional character created in 1919 by pulp writer Johnston McCulley . He is a Californio living in Los Angeles during the era of Mexican California (between 1821 and 1846), although some movie adaptations of Zorro's story have placed him during the earlier Spanish rule . </P> <P> The character has undergone changes through the years, but the typical image of him is a dashing black - clad masked vigilante who defends the commoners and indigenous peoples of the land against corrupt and tyrannical officials and other villains . Not only is he too cunning and foxlike for the bumbling authorities to catch, but he also delights in publicly humiliating them . </P>

Where did the story of zorro come from