Esteban Huertas

Esteban Huertas López (1876–1943) was a Colombian and later Panamanian military commander. He was a member of Panama's Conservative Party.

Biography He was born in Úmbita in Boyacá, Colombia on 28 May 1876. His parents were Fulgencio Huertas and Sagrario López. They wanted him to become a priest, but Huertas did not, so he ran away from home when he was 8 years old.

Legacy His role in the country's independence made a Huertas a national hero. The Panamanian poet Rodolfo Caicedo paid tribute to Huertas in his 1904 poem "Paz y Progreso" ("Peace and Progress"). His image was damaged by his conflict with Amator and his resignation. In the time since his death, his reputation has improved in Panama due to his role in the nation's independence.

Huertas is portrayed as "General Esteban" in The Sharpie of the Culebra Cut, a Scrooge McDuck comic by Keno Don Rosa that is set in Panama in 1906. In the comic, General Esteban is a villain who wants to seize power in Panama to enrich himself using the Panama Canal (which he plans to rename Esteban Canal, and it would make him one of the most powerful and richest dictators in the world). As Rosa could find no real life Colombian or Panamanian villains, he based the villain off Huertas but only named him "General Esteban" to try to make a different, fictional character. After great treasure discovered by Scrooge McDuck and Teddy Roosevelt, Esteban's visions of power grow even greater as he can hire mercenaries, build armaments and even his own navy with the ancient gold. However, he is knocked down by a Parita chief and extradited to Colombia. The Parita chief claims "we know well of the evil war chief Esteban".