Skinner - The Devil in Prison - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

It's Hispanic Heritage Month, a time apt to catch us off guard as it starts on September 15 rather than the first. 

by Enrique R 

Charles M. Skinner is one of the few anthologists of Hispanic Heritage in Public Domain. (Next year that number will increase to give even more stories.) Looking at his Myths & Legends Beyond Our Borders there are several stories worth noting. This tale comes from the Mexican border town, Ojinaga, so close to the United States yet remote because of Pegüis Canyon, where today's story occurs. While Ojinaga is directly opposite Presidio, Texas, the ten miles of steep limestone cliffs and its Conchos River make it seem a world apart. The town's rural nature remains even as Wikipedia sadly states "Because of its location on the Río Grande border between Chihuahua and the U.S. state of Texas, Ojinaga is often a station for narcotic smuggling and illegal immigration."

Today's story steps back into "some forgotten year in the eighteenth century." 

The little church at the top of the canyon no longer seems to exist. Tourist information only mentions "In addition, the canyon also cave paintings with that date back of thousands years." Sadly the Devil is no longer "in Prison."

 

freepik.com

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This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, “Keeping the Public in Public Domain.” The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated. I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20^th century. My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them. I hope you enjoy discovering them.

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.

See the sidebar for other Public Domain story resources I recommend on the page “Public Domain Story Resources."