I am a huge Zarate fan; I grew up watching him fight. You might want to involve Mr Baltazar in this. I am sure that he saw both of them many times, and I have read where he says that Ortiz was the best at 118.
Yes, I saw both fight live and I think Ortiz was in a higher level than Zarate. And yes, of all the bantamweights I seen live since seeing Ortiz I think Ortiz was the best..