Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses episodes of racially motivated violence, including sexual assault. It also references domestic violence.

Joaquín Murieta is the eponymous hero of Ridge’s novel. He owes something to the Romantic (anti)heroes popularized in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in that he is a naturally virtuous character who operates outside of and rebels against social convention.

Joaquín begins life as an upstanding citizen who aspires to the American dream, moving from Mexico to California in hopes of making his fortune. He falls into crime after his attempts to pursue an honest living are repeatedly and violently sabotaged, establishing The Cycle of Racist and Anti-Racist Violence that defines the novel. Even as an outlaw, Joaquín maintains a strict, if unorthodox, moral code. He is appalled at Three-Fingered Jack’s wanton brutality and restrains him when possible. When Joaquín discovers that Reiss has kidnapped Rosalie, he immediately forces Reiss to release her. Joaquín’s behavior is somewhat inconsistent, however. Although he repeatedly distances himself from Jack’s sadism, Jack remains Joaquín’s right-hand man. Joaquín himself oversees the organization and goals of the banditti, and in the wake of his death, the absence of his vision and drive causes the group to quickly fall apart.