Zorro The Chronicles

After five years in Spain, Diego de la Vega sails home to his beloved California. Everything has changed. The citizens of Los Angeles are now under the thumb of the cruel Captain Monasterio. Squeezed by high taxes, the poorest wind up in debtors' prison. The only ones to take a stand are the de la Vega family. But what can they do? A mysterious masked avenger shows up. His name is Zorro!

Diego rides out to the Chumash tribe to visit his grandmother, Tainah, only to find Captain Monasterio and his soldiers in the village rounding up all the men to take them to a mountain labor camp where they will break stones. Monasterio feels sure his plan will make him filthy rich, and has the assurance that the governor of California will not lift a finger to help the unfortunate Chumash.

Monasterio sets a trap for Zorro. As bait, he arrests innocent Indians. Next, he pretends to ride out of Los Angeles with his troops, leaving behind only Sergeant Garcia and a few men. Zorro rushes in to free the prisoners. But, the moment they sneak out, Monasterio and his soldiers fall upon them and chase them through the streets of Los Angeles.

Diego's father is determined that his son will marry lovely Carmen, the daughter of his best friend, Don Luis de Villalonga, a fellow ranchero. Diego doesn't want to get married because if they did, she might find out that he is actually Zorro and this knowledge would certainly put in her in danger.

To be rid of Zorro once and for all, Captain Monasterio hires Don Ramirez, an expert swordsman. A fencing contest will be held in Los Angeles. Monasterio feels certain Zorro won't be able to resist the opportunity to take on Don Ramirez. And, true to form, despite all danger, the masked avenger steps up to challenge his enemies.

Captain Monasterio has brought two cannons from Monterey to force the Chumash out of their village and, thus, take their lands. Don Alejandro de la Vega and his best friend, Don Luis de Villalonga, neither of whom are spring chickens, set up an ambush with several other rancheros to try to stop the soldiers. Zorro joins them and stands up bravely to Monasterio and his new weapons.

Don Rodrigo Malapensa, a new ranchero in the area, wants to purchase the ranch belonging to the de la Vega family. When Don Alejandro refuses to sell, Don Malapensa strikes a deal with Monasterio; he will help capture Zorro if the captain will help him seize the Vega ranch. Manuel, a farm worker, is kidnapped by Don Malapensa's henchmen in order to trick Zorro into showing up.

Don Malapensa suspects Diego de la Vega of being Zorro. He urges his son Antonio to engage Diego in duel, forcing the lad to defend himself with the unmistakable swordsmanship of Zorro. Diego barely manages to conceal his secret identity, but he is pursued and harassed all the way home.

Captain Monasterio rounds up all the braves in the Chumash tribe as needed laborers so that he can reopen the silver mine Zorro blocked up. Diego de la Vega tries to come up with a solution because nothing will keep the captain from returning. But his sister Ines, outraged by how the Chumash men are being treated, disguises herself as Zorro to try to help them.

Captain Monasterio collects a new tax to finance parties at the governor's mansion in Monterey, even if it costs the poor peasants of Los Angeles their last peso. Zorro attacks the tax-collector's escort on the highway and confiscates the tax money with the firm intention of returning it to the overtaxed Angelinos. But two bandits ambush him and race away with the booty.

Ines de la Vega and Bernardo drive cattle northward to Monterey with Sergeant Garcia as their escort. They are attacked by a band of Yaquis, Indian rebels who have just arrived in California. Yuma, their leader, is initially interested in the cattle, but Ines suggests he demand a hefty ransom for their release. Clever move! Zorro quickly gets wind of the extortion plan and races in to the rescue!

Don Luis Verdugo, a rich ranchero, gives the Los Angeles church a new bell, hoping his gift will secure him the governor's appointment as city alcade. Captain Monasterio will then have to obey him! Monasterio earnestly wants to be rid of him. He joins forces with Don Rodrigo Malapensa and they hatch a plan to get rid of Don Verdugo.

Captain Monasterio wants to send the governor a trunk full of gifts but a storm is brewing over Los Angeles. Yuma the Yaqui bandit disguises himself as Zorro, attacks the garrison, and nabs the trunk full of gifts. While the real Zorro searches for the usurper, Ines de la Vega and Bernardo try to get their Chumash friends out of the storm to safety.

Don Rodrigo Malapensa and Captain Monasterio want to build a harbor for Los Angeles on the very spot where the Chumash village stands. Sisquoc, a young warrior, impulsively tries to prevent the plan by kidnapping Captain Monasterio. Sergeant Garcia sets out to chase him down with his usual clumsiness even though Malapensa is actually far more dangerous.

Bandits attack the seed salesmen who supply area farmers. It's no fluke that Don Rodrigo Malapensa is the only one left with any seed, or that he is now selling it at a very high price. Diego de la Vega suspects wrongdoing. He and his pal Bernardo set up a trap for the bandits. But Zorro is unaware that a new and even more formidable enemy has just arrived in Los Angeles.

Doña Isabella Verdugo and Don Rodrigo Malapensa conspire to make Captain Monasterio fall in disgrace. The scheme is for Doña Isabella to be carried off by a fake Zorro in broad daylight, in the streets of Los Angeles, in full view of Diego de la Vega, Ines, and Bernardo! The whole city is in an uproar over the crime. Men set out to hunt down the outlaw.

Los Angeles is suffering from a terrible drought. The rivers run dry. Cattle lack water. Captain Monasterio requisitions the city's only well that still has water. He then builds an aqueduct diverting the well water to his garrison. The rest of the city gets rationed water while Monasterio waters his flowers!

Antonio Malapensa asks Ines de la Vega to marry him. His father, Don Rodrigo Malapensa, realizes this is a golden opportunity to gain title to the de la Vega family's lands. He need only rub out Diego so that Ines becomes sole heir to the estate. Malapensa sets up a trap and Diego falls into it.

Captain Monasterio has all the young men of the area arrested because one of them must be Zorro. Diego de la Vega and Bernardo wind up in jail with the others. Food is in short supply. Furthermore, Diego gets on everyone's nerves with his poems. Monasterio has Carmen de Villalonga and Ines de la Vega arrested. He has a sure-fire plan to find out which prisoner is Zorro.

Ching, a cartographer sent by the Emperor of China, arrives in Los Angeles in hopes of locating the treasure of the famous corsair, Francis Drake. Ching owns a map coded in the Chumash language that just so happens to reveal the existence of Zorro's secret cave. Diego de la Vega does his best to protect his secret.

Doña Isabella Verdugo has evidence that Don Rodrigo Malapensa is a bandit. It's a cufflink that he lost during an attack on local farmers. But Malapensa is determined to get it back. He has his men burgle all the haciendas around Los Angeles so that Doña Verdugo won't become suspicious of his movements. His men pass themselves off as Zorro to turn the locals against the masked avenger.

Doña Isabella Verdugo discovers a dark secret about Don Rodrigo Malapensa's past. She blackmails him by demanding that he attack a stagecoach transporting fresh pesos. If he doesn't do it, she'll tell his secret to Captain Monasterio. Malapensa opts instead for double-crossing her by attacking the stagecoach and keeping the money to leave California for good.

Sisquoc, the young Chumash warrior who kidnapped Captain Monasterio, is still hiding in the mountains in hopes of escaping his vengeance. But he falls into an ambush. Monasterio quickly takes him to Monterey to be put on a boat to a labor camp far, far away. Tainah (the village's leader), Diego, Ines, and Bernardo set out after the soldiers to rescue Sisquoc.

Doña Isabella Verdugo learns that Governor Parasol wishes to appoint Don Alejandro de la Vega as alcalde of Los Angeles. Enraged that her husband Don Luis Verdugo wasn't chosen, she tries to find a way to get de la Vega out of the picture.

Zorro rides to Monterey to teach a lesson to Governor Parasol for collecting a heavy tax to finance the galas held at the presidio. The humiliated governor then accuses Captain Monasterio of being incapable of arresting Zorro. Doña Isabella Verdugo seizes the opportunity to persuade Parasol to appoint her nephew, Captain Toledano, to take command of the Los Angeles garrison.