For the past 175 years, the history of Joaquin Murrieta’s life has been distorted, and augmented, as he has been unjustly portrayed as a horse thief, cut-throat highway man, without cause and scruples. For years, Anglo historians, as well as the 1853 Government of California have written lies about the life and death of Joaquin. Even Mexican and Chilean historians have unscrupulously repeated the lies about Murrieta. This historical account is the first and only documented record pertaining to the truth of the life of Joaquin Murrieta authored by his descendants. After years of documenting family oral history and testimonial corroboration of Murrieta's descendants, this book serves to confirm the importance of his role in California and Mexican history. This research also sustains why he will forever be remembered as the Hero of the Chicano! The lies about Murrieta were fueled by doctrines such as the Manifest Destiny which was primarily responsible for the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848 by Anglo Saxons, because they believed that “God” had destined them to conquer and occupy all the land from ocean to ocean with their principle objective being to invade, destroy, and obliterate Indigenous and Mexicans, and all remnants of their culture. Fortunately, native families were able to preserve their culture and passed down their oral history, from one generation to the next, vividly preserving their languages and traditions despite the hundreds of years of abusive treatment and slaughter. “Joaquin Murrieta; Hero of the Chicano,” is the first book written by a descendant of Murrieta. The author, Alfredo A. Figueroa’s great, great, grandmother, who was Joaquin’s cousin, was involved in the uprising and struggles to revenge the murder of Joaquin’s wife, Carmelita and to regain California back to Mexico during the early 1850s in the area of Sonora. The song that tells the story of Joaquin, “El Corrido de Joaquin Murrieta, ” was banned in cities and towns due to the fact that Murrieta's whereabouts were protected by the people. On April 1, 1857, Henry Alexander Crabb, an ex-California Senator, who was accompanied by filibusters, invaded Caborca, Sonora, Mexico. On April 6, 1857, after five days of battle, Crabb and his filibusters were defeated by the natives and their fellow recruits from nearby villages. Most of the recruits were Murrieta Veterans who, after being ousted from their own gold mines in Northern California, were anxious to fight against the Anglo Saxon invaders. The distortion of the truth of Joaquin written by historians has made it virtually impossible for society to accept Joaquín Murrieta as a revolutionary leader, let alone honor him as one of the most famous Chicano heroes. Finally, after 165 years of blatant lies, the truth of Joaquín Murrieta’s life is told based on evidentiary facts that substantiate our research. The facts will show that Murrieta started out as a young miner who set out to make a living on his own, along with his wife and brother, in the mines of California. Despite the clamor of victory falsely proclaimed by Harry Love and the California Rangers, Murrieta escaped capture and returned to his beloved Sonora where he lived out the rest of his years. Special thanks to Armando Rendón for his expertise in assisting with the editing. Historically, Rendón's research has disputed the lies written by previous historians about Joaquin Murrieta and was prudent in supporting the evidentiary facts presented by the descendants of Joaquin Murrieta. Also, special thanks to Ricardo Griswold del Castillo and Jose Antonio Murrieta for their contribution to this must read about Joaquin Murrieta and his role in early California history. Alfredo A. Figueroa has also authored "Aztlan: Origin and Ethnology." "Ancient Footprints of the Colorado River."