Category: Culture
Weather Wisdom of the Texas–Mexican Border
On the ranches that stretch along the Rio Grande, weather is not small talk. It is food for cattle, grass for sheep, and the boundary…
The History of April: Month of Venus and Awakening Earth
The month of April brings with it the warm breath of spring, a time when the earth stirs from winter’s slumber and bursts open with…
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…
