Spanish royal army Colonel Mefisto Palomarez, the dreaded butcher of the Yucatan campaign, soon looses the alcalde's admiration when he announces he has come to eliminate Zorro but does so by drawing lots to execute daily one inhabitant of the pueblo until Zorro hangs, even though nobody knows his identity, and exempting nobody- the first victim is Sergeant Mendoza! Zorro makes a nocturnal visit offering the colonel a fair duel instead, but is arrested. Naturally he came prepared, and even the alcalde smiles when the sadist is duly humiliated at Mendoza's execution

The alcalde is delighted to hear Leonardo Montez, who hid the jewel he stole from the Guadelupe mission sanctuary in Santa Barbara, has escaped in the pueblo's direction and probably comes to retrieve it. Felipe just sign-gestured Diego's painting 'Mona Lisa of the Puebla' resembles señorita Escalante, when Victoria enters in the flesh to report the alcalde just arrested Leonardo. Zorro rides to prevent the ecclesiastical treasure changing hands between both greedy criminals and frees Leonardo under the nose of the alcalde and some lancers