Category: Culture
Dances, Pilón, and the “Evil Eye”: Everyday Life on the Texas–Mexico Border, c. 1900–1923
On the lower Rio Grande in the early 20th century, Mexican and Mexican-American families kept close to traditions brought north long before the railroad and…
The Old-World Ways of Gillespie County’s German Texans
Set in the Texas Hill Country, Fredericksburg grew from a mid-1840s German settlement into a town where old customs met a changing frontier. By the…
Cowboy Dances: How the Plains Threw a Party
Before highways, neon dance halls, and coin-operated jukeboxes, the rural West made its own fun. A cowboy dance was not a ticketed event with posters…
Old World Lore of Foundation Sacrifices
Across Europe and well beyond, builders once believed that a structure needed more than timber and stone. It needed a guardian. To make a new…
The History of March: The Month of Mars
March, once the first month of the year in the Roman calendar, is named for Mars, the powerful Roman god of war. As the season…
The History of February: The Month of Purification and Ancient Myths
February, though today known as the second month of the year, was originally the last month of the Roman calendar. Its name comes from the…
The History of January: Gateway to the New Year
January, the first month of the calendar year, takes its name from Janus, the ancient Roman god of doors, gates, and transitions. His name, rooted…
Cheese in Ancient Rome: A Staple of Soldiers, Feasts, and the Gods
When we think of Ancient Rome, grand architecture, gladiators, and conquests often come to mind. But behind the empire’s military might and cultural legacy lies…
Davy Jones: The Sailor’s Devil Beneath the Sea
If you’ve ever heard the phrase “sent down to Davy Jones’ Locker,” you’ve brushed up against one of the most chilling figures in old English…
Danse Macabre: When Death Took the Lead
In the shadow of the Black Death, a chilling figure emerged from the depths of European imagination – a grinning skeleton with outstretched arms, inviting…
