I recently came across an interesting and unlikely figure in Mexican history. He’s known as Guillén de Lampart or Guillén de Lombardo or William Lamport and he happens to be Irish. I first heard about him in an article that suggested he’s the real inspiration for Zorro.

That claim turned out to be relatively unfounded. The “truth” behind William Lamport is much more intriguing than his influence on Zorro’s creator. He was born in Wexford, Ireland in 1615. About twelve years later, he was tried for treason in London. He managed to escape, something that would become a lifelong pattern, and made it to Spain. There he was captured by pirates and fought along side them for the next two years. In this time, he picked up no less than 14 languages.

His military career began while fighting for the French against the Huguenots. He made a name for himself in the Siege of La Rochelle. He later joined Spanish regiments to fight the Swedish in the Spanish Netherlands. During this time he became Guillen Lombardo. He was welcomed into the King’s grace, but not for long.

He was soon sent to Mexico for having a scandalous love affair with a noblewoman. It’s believed that they were living together, although not married. When she became pregnant, he was sent off to act as a spy for the Spanish court. He began to sympathize more and more with the local indigenous population. During this time, he also studied native medicine and healing traditions.

Source:Society for Irish Latin American Studies