Diego de la Vega

Don Diego de la Vega (portrayed by Guy Williams) is the main protagonist in the 1957 TV series Zorro. He is a young scholar whose alter ego is El Zorro. He is depicted as a former University student, newly recalled by his father from Spain to his home outside . Just before reaching California, Diego learns of the tyranny of Captain Monastario from the ship's captain, and realizes that his father, Don Alejandro (George J. Lewis), summoned him to help fight this injustice. Although he won medals for his fencing back in Spain, Diego decides that his best course of action is to conceal his ability with a sword, and to affect the demeanor of a milquetoast intellectual rather than a decisive man of action. His alter ego, Zorro, operates primarily at night, taking the direct action that Diego cannot. This deception does not always sit well with Diego, especially as it affects his relationship with his disappointed father. In reality, Diego relies heavily on his wits, both with and without the mask on. Later in the series, Diego emerges as a respected figure in his own right, a clever thinker and loyal friend who just happens to be hopeless at swordplay.
==Background==
====Early life====
Don Diego de la Vega was born in 1799 to Don Alejandro de la Vega and an unnamed mother. He was raised on his family's ranchero near El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles sobre El Rio Porciuncula (later shortened to Los Angeles) in Spanish California. His family was one of the most prominent in California at the time.
As a young boy, Diego was known for his courage, natural leadership abilities, athletic prowess, and fearlessness when it came to standing up against injustice. He even developed a crush on his friend Rosarita Cortez, and they both promised to marry each other one day. Before he left for university in Spain, Diego met Sergeant Garcia, who was stationed at the cuartel in the Pueblo. The two quickly became friends, with Garcia looking up to Diego for his caring nature and willingness to pay for wine and meals at the local tavern. Similarly, Diego admired Garcia for his simple nature and kind heart.
In 1817, Diego left California to study at a university in Spain. While there, he hired a mute man-servant named Bernardo who proved to be a loyal friend and advisor. During his time at the university, Diego became an accomplished swordsman and captain of the fencing team. He defeated his school rival, Ramon Castillo, to become the fencing champion. Ramon, who held a grudge against Diego for being the only person to beat him in a sword fight, was determined to challenge him to a rematch. However, Diego had to return home to California before a rematch could take place.
====Return Home - Birth of Zorro====
"My dear son,
It is with a heavy heart I ask you to give up your studies and come home. Certain matters have arisen which I can no longer face alone."In 1820, Diego (now 21 years old) received a letter from his father, urging him to give up his studies and return home as soon as possible. Diego was puzzled by the letter, but nevertheless boarded a ship to California. While on the ship, he was befriended by the ships captain and the two often practiced fencing together during the voyage. It was from the captain that Diego learned of the state of Los Angeles, and how an evil tyrant, named Captain Monastario had taken over the Pueblo. Upon learning this information, Diego threw his fencing medals and trophies overboard, deciding to appear as a spineless weakling interested only in arts and sciences, eschewing violence and politics. His deception proved to be believable to everyone, even his childhood friends and his father.
Upon arriving in the Pueblo, Diego witnesses the arrest of a family friend and fellow ranchero, Don Nacho Torres, on the trumped up charge of treason. He was subject to having his belongs searched and was questioned by Monastario.
When Diego arrived at his family's Hacienda, he was greeted warmly by his father. Later that night, Don Alejandro explained how Monastario intercepted all mail going in and out of the pueblo, raised taxes on all the rancheros, and the forced slave labor on the Indians. Alejandro went on to explain that all those who spoke up against the injustice, like Nacho Torres, were arrested for treason. Although he was not proud of it, Diego convinced his father that he has no interest or intention of combating the evil Commandante, leaving him to act alone. That night, his alter ego, Zorro, was born.
====Fighting Captain Monastario====
The next day, Diego takes Bernardo to the hill country where he is reunited with Tornado, the black horse he had left in the care of a shepherd. He explains to Bernardo that he will becomes Zorro's horse before telling Tornado they will be going on a long ride that night.
That night, Monastario, with the help of his crooked sidekick, Licenciado Piña, planned to release Nacho Torres, only to shoot him a runaway prisoner. Zorro, sneaks into Garcias room, assuming he has the keys to the cell. When Garcia tells him that he had given the keys to the Commandante, Zorro restrains the Sergeant before rescuing Nacho Torres. Monastario intercepts the masked hero and a fight ensues, leaving Zorro victor, before riding away and taking Nacho Torres to the mission to seek sanctuary with Padre Filipe.
By the following morning, posters are seen all around the pueblo offering rewards for the capture of both Don Nacho and Zorro, making Don Diego an outlaw. Back at the de la Vega Hacienda, Bernardo walks into to find Don Diego already dressed, he asks when he got back, since he had fallen asleep waiting outside his door, and did not see him come in. Diego laughs and tells Bernardo that he came in through a secret passage beneath the house, with a door leading to his room. He explains that it was built into the Hacienda as a well to escape Indian raids, he than shows Bernardo the secret passages and various entires throughout the house, each leading to the cave where he has hidden Tornado. He leaves telling Bernardo that Tornado will need to be exercised in the pasture outside the cave and leaves to visit the mission and check on Don Nacho. Shortly after he arrives, Captain Monastario arrives to recapture Nacho Torres, but is unable to do because of Church sanctuary. He devises a scheme to legally take over the mission, and thereby starve Nacho Torres out of sanctuary. Don Diego convinces about a legendary spectral monk haunts the mission's grounds to Sergeant Garcia who unwittingly reports it to other soldiers. Later that night, Zorro, rides to the mission to drive away the soldiers from the mission. Frightened by the ghost of the mission, Captain Monastario and the lancers leave the mission and never return.
==Relationships==
====Don Alejandro====
Diego and his father have a somewhat troubled relationship at the beginning. Alejandro wishes his son was more of a man of action, and not so interested in music and reading. Diego is seen to care very much for his father, and hates that he has to lie to him about being Zorro, even if it for his protection. At one point, Alejandro finds out his son is Zorro, but keeps it secret.
When Diego decides to take the Governors offer of amnesty so he can marry Anna Maria, Alejandro disguises himself to capture his son, preventing him from revealing his identity. Diego overpowers him, tearing off his mask revealing his father. The two talk and Alejandro tells Diego that he believes California still needs Zorro and that he hopes his son will make the right choice. Diego decides to remain Zorro. From then on, their relationship improved, with Don Alejandro becoming an accomplice and advisor to Zorro.
====Bernardo====
Bernardo is Don Diego's mute man-servant. the two met in Spain. When Diego returns to California, Bernardo comes with him. and when Diego takes on his alter-ego, Bernardo pretends to be deaf as well as mute, so as to better serve Zorro by being his eyes as well as his ears. This proves to be very useful as villains plotting against California speak freely around him, feeding him information which is later passed on to Diego. Bernardo is very protective of Diego and goes through great lengths to make sure Zorro has everything he needs for his missions.
====Sergeant Garcia====
Diego and Garcia met some time before Diego's departure to Spain, and the two became friends. They both admire each other for their respective qualities and good natures. Although good friends, when Diego is Zorro, he often finds ways to pick on the Sergeant; making slight jabs at him and sometimes putting him in almost comical situations. Despite this, Diego is seen to have a genuine friendship with Garcia, and more often than not, rescues the Sergeant when he gets himself into trouble, or paying for his wine and meals at the tavern.
====Anna Maria====
Don Diego met Anna Maria when he went to Monterey to deliver money for supplies from Spain. Although the two disliked each other at first, Diego soon fell in love with Anna Maria. He came to her rescue several times as Zorro, with whom she was very much in love. When an old friend of Diego's, Ricardo del Amo, shows interest in Anna Maria, Diego becomes jealous; and tries to find ways, both as himself and as Zorro, to get Ricardo out of the way. Diego tries very hard to convince Anna Maria of how much he loves her, and wants to marry her, but she replys that she thinks of him as a good friend and brother figure. When Ricardo convinces the Governor to grant amesty for Zorro, Diego decides to reveal his idenity so he can marry Anna Maria. But he is stopped by his father before he can do so. After the hour of amnesty passes, Diego, dressed as Zorro, rides into Monterey and sweeps Anna Maria off her feet, riding to the outskirts of the city. He explains that he cannot give up being Zorro yet with so many people depending on him. She is saddened but understands and asks if she will ever see his face, to which he replys, "You have only to look about you." He then rides off, leaving Anna Maria.
Some time after, Diego returns to Los Angeles. It is unknown weather or not they see eachother again.
====Rosarita Cortez====
Rosarita is a childhood friend of the de la Vegas. At one point when Diego and her were children, they developed a crush on each other, and promised to marry when they grew up. At some point Rosarita moved away and didn't see Diego for ten years. When she returned to Los Angeles, she reminded Diego of their silly childhood promise to marry and they shared a laugh over it. Rosarita often expresses her displeasure with Diegos lack of action, and remembers when he acted as a leader. She is among those that tell him to be more like Zorro, even going so far as to encourage him to take up fencing
==Trivia==
*Diego's singing voice is supplied by Bill Lee of the Mellomen.
*El Zorro means The Fox in Spanish.
*For the first time in any version of Zorro, Don Diego is a poor fencer. Diego never tells anybody about the fencing medals and trophies he earned while at school in Madrid. Whenever Diego is forced to fence, he fences as awkwardly as possible.
*Through out the series five people have succeeded in figuring out Diego's secret identity but only two lived to tell the tale. Those two were Diego's father and Capitan Monasterio, although no one believed Monasterio and he was sent to prison. The other four weren't so lucky since they died after finding out about Diego's double life. Don Juan Ortega pulled off Diego's mask just before falling to his death, Andres Felipe Basilio found out and donned the Zorro attire only to be shot by Perico Capitan Mendoza, who had direct orders to shoot Zorro on sight.
*The character's name in Johnston McCulley's writing and previous adaptations was Diego Vega; the Disney version expands the name to Diego de la Vega, an innovation retained in some subsequent versions of the story.
pt-br:Diego de la Vega
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