I named a small village in Mexico - Rio del Diablo.
I'm assuming "del" is not capitalized even though it's part of the name of the village. Am I right?
I named a small village in Mexico - Rio del Diablo.
I'm assuming "del" is not capitalized even though it's part of the name of the village. Am I right?
You have it right, del is not capitalized. Not sure about naming a village river of the devil though.
Edit; Might want to try Aliadas del Diablo.
You have it right, del is not capitalized.
Thanks.
I assumed there was a river near the village with a violent past so they named the village after it. It's so hard to come up with a name that's not being used.
I assumed there was a river near the village with a violent past so they named the village after it.
You could try Río de Sangre (river of blood). Particularly good if it's a vampire story. :)
All devil or everyone devil? Doubt that would work.
You could just pick a remote town in Columbia and wouldn't be too far off the mark. Palomino Columbia comes to mind. It even has a river next to it. In the 90s, it was known for being a crossroads of FARC and Narco activity along with human trafficking. I understand it's changed now, but back then, you couldn't write a story horrible enough to echo the violence that occured there on almost a daily basis.
Should work.
Edit:
Don't title it that way though.
https://espanol.free-ebooks.net/ebook/El-Diablo-del-Norte
Don't title it that way though.
It's not in the title. In fact, it may not be mentioned by name hardly ever. Don't know yet. So far only once.
The fictitious Arizona town will be in the book's title.
Diablo del Norte.
You could place it near the mountain called Sierra Diablo which is about 20 miles north-west of Santa Rita Copper Minesaccording my my old military map. That would help reinforce the Diablo and help justify the name is it was a town on the mountain's north side. Location is around 108.5 degrees by 33 deg according to the map. I can't find the place on Google Maps, so it probably has a new name.
Found the Diablo Mountains on and 1874 map which has them right on the middle of the northern edge of the Grant County border with the Gila River just west of them.
You could place it near the mountain called Sierra Diablo
It's in Mexico near the border with Arizona. The name isn't important. I just try no to use real names.
Not sure about naming a village river of the devil though.
That feels a bit odd to me too. For the name of a place, something with hell seems for natural to me.
I'm assuming "del" is not capitalized even though it's part of the name of the village. Am I right?
Correct. I don't speak Spanish at all, but I've a few very old maps of the area now known as New Mexico, Arizona, and California I downloaded as part of research for some stories, and they list places such as:
Jornada del Muerte
Ojo del Muerte
Paraje de Fra Cristobal
Mesa de la Trinchera
Canon del Tigre
Canada del Tule
Ojo de San Nicolas
Puerto de los Alamitos
Ojo de la Vaca
Ojo del Lobo
and many others with del, de, la, los in the name. However, I do wonder why a town was given the name El Coyote.
Ojo de la Vaca
"From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lavaca may stand for:
Lavaca, Arkansas
Lavaca County, Texas
Lavaca River
Port Lavaca, Texas
Lavaca Bay
See also
la Vaca (disambiguation)
Lavaka, a Tongan nobility title, see Tupou VI
Lavaka, a type of hole caused by erosion of hillsides"
I have been told vaca means cow in Spanish.
Lavaca may stand for:
All of the places I listed are actual places on an old 1850s military map of the New Mexico Territory (that included what is now Arizona and part of Utah); many were also on a much older map of that area when it was part of Mexico. I had the spacing and the capitals exactly as they did, so it was la Vaca - not sure if that makes a difference.
I have been told vaca means cow in Spanish.
Great. Now we've got "The River of the damned, devil cow!"
Time to back up and consider town names. Few towns name themselves either after the devil, the damned or the dead. Instead, towns try to name themselves for inspiration things: like angels, sunshine. Spanish for "treacherous shoals", maybe? Or if you want something more exotic "Risen from the River of Death", however that would translate.
Time to back up and consider town names. Few towns name themselves either after the devil, the damned or the dead. Instead, towns try to name themselves for inspiration things: like angels, sunshine. Spanish for "treacherous shoals", maybe? Or if you want something more exotic "Risen from the River of Death", however that would translate.
A lot of towns are named by their founder like "Johnstown".
Time to back up and consider town names. Few towns name themselves either after the devil, the damned or the dead.
Quite often a the name of a town gets shortened and it's the short name that ends up in the official records. Los Angeles is a classic example since it's original full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula which translates to English as The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula. I forget what language it was in and where it is, but I once read about a place whose original name translated as The Town at the Entrance to the Valley of Hell and ended up being morphed into what translated as The Entrance to Hell a few centuries later before it got wiped out. When a new town was built on the same spot a few generations later it got a new name.
Los Angeles is a classic example since it's original full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula which translates to English as The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula.
Actually you missed a bit from LA's full spanish name. In full it's "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río Porciúncula" or in English, "the town of our lady the Queen of Angels of the River Porciúncula"
Few towns name themselves either after the devil, the damned or the dead.
Foreshadowing.
ETA:
You'd be surprised. There are 4 towns named Hell.
Hell, Michigan
Hell, Calif
Hell, Norway
Hell, Grand Cayman
You'd be surprised. There are 4 towns named Hell.
Hell, Michigan
Hell, Calif
Hell, Norway
Hell, Grand Cayman
At least the Norwegian translation of Hell is happiness or luck ;)
You'd be surprised. There are 4 towns named Hell.
Hell, Michigan
Hell, Calif
Hell, Norway
Hell, Grand Cayman
So the infamous 'portal to hell' links sunny California with the fjords of Norway and the off-short bank accounts in the Grand Caymans? Damn! One more reason to love California.
Just found some more googling "scary town names."
Hell, Michigan
While there are a few theories about where this town got its name, sadly, none have to do with devil horn sightings. Supposedly, the name comes from the "hell-like" conditions early explorers encountered in the area thanks to mosquitoes and challenging wetland.
Tombstone, Arizona
This town was reportedly named by Ed Schieffelin, who was briefly a scout for the U.S. Army searching for ore samples. His friend and former Army Scout Al Sieber was quoted telling Schieffelin "The only rock you will find out there will be your own tombstone."
Red Devil, Alaska
After mercury deposits were found in the surrounding mountains, this town started calling itself the Red Devil in 1921. Despite the name, there are have been no recorded demon sightings to date.
Dead Women Crossing, Oklahoma
The supposedly haunted town got its moniker from the brutal 1905 murder of schoolteacher Katie DeWitt James, who went missing with her 14-month old baby and was found dead near a creek. Not exactly the most inviting origin story.
Cape Fear, North Carolina
The name of this famous shoreline dates back to Sir Richard Grenville's 1585 expedition to Roanoke Island. Apparently the ship got stuck behind the cape and the crew was afraid that the ship would capsize, hence the name Cape Fear.
Seven Devils, North Carolina
If you thought one devil was enough, then think again. This Appalachian town was supposedly named after seven 19th century brothers who were so quick to fight that they were named the "seven devils" by locals. And you thought your kids had behavior problems.
Devil's Den, Wyoming
This area's foreboding vibe contributed to its spooky name. Devil's Den sits near the Yellowstone River in Wyoming, perfect for backpackers and daring nature adventurers.
I may translate Devil's Den to Spanish and use it.
Death Valley, California
This place got its name from a group of pioneers who were lost there in the 1800's. So what if it's one of the hottest places in the world with a record temperature of 134 degrees? That doesn't stop tourists from flocking there and the Star Wars crew from filming there. Just make sure you have enough water with you when you visit.
Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
The murderous name apparently came about in the 1700's after a ship carrying rum crashed in the area. The rum was so foul that it was dubbed "kill-devil." Kill Devil Hills is also the site of the Wright brothers' first controlled airplane flights in the early 1900's.
Vulture City, Arizona
While visiting this town, so called for Vulture Mine — the most productive gold mine in the history of Arizona — you may run into a winged scavenger or two. Or at least that's what the name would suggest.
Frankenstein, Missouri
Unfortunately the mayor of this Osage County community is not Dr. Frankenstein's monster. Oh well. The town most likely got its name from pioneer citizen Godfried Franken.
Slaughter Beach, Delaware
According to local legend, the town gets its gory name from an 18th century massacre of the area's original settlers. Today, it's home to a horseshoe crab sanctuary which is way less brutal.
Skull Valley, Arizona
When settlers first surveyed the land in the area they discovered human remains, inspiring the name Skull Valley. Though the place has since been cleared of visible bones, the name stuck.
Satan's Kingdom, Massachusetts
Surprisingly, a town in Connecticut and one in Vermont also have this devilish name. The reason why this place shares a connection to Lucifer is hazy, however.
There were more, but the above were the best. See, they do name towns after the devil and worse.
Satan's Kingdom, Massachusetts
Surprisingly, a town in Connecticut and one in Vermont also have this devilish name. The reason why this place shares a connection to Lucifer is hazy, however.
Satans Kingdom, Vermont, isn't a town or other official "place". It's an unofficial locale within the town of Leicester.
We also used to have a Sodom, similarly an unofficial locale in the town of Calais, but, around the turn of the century, the Sodomites changed the name to Adamant. The nearby pond is still officially named "Sodom Pond", though.
We also have a Dead Creek, a Terrible Mountain, a Mount Horrid, and an area called The Drowned Lands.
We also used to have a Sodom,
Sign at the edge of town: You are entering Sodom. Bend over at your own risk!
However, I do wonder why a town was given the name El Coyote.
'Cause the town's founder was suckled and raised by coyotes?
Pueblo de la Infierno: town from hell
Puerta del Diablo: Devils Gate
(Actual place in El Salvador)
Your going to find many incidence of similar names in Central and S. America.
I suggest Corte del Infierno - Hell's Forecourt, Despensa del Diablo - The Devil's Pantry, or simply Pueblo de los Muertos - Village of the Dead.
Will be looking fwd to reading the final product.
We always appreciate books about drowned devil cow towns! 'D
We always appreciate books about drowned devil cow towns!
That was never stated by SB.
FWIW, there is a Rio del Diablo in Chile: http://www.tageo.com/index-e-ci-v-09-d-6153652.htm
AJ
Rio del Diablo and Sierra Diablo, which is short for Sierra del Diablo, are both fine but I wouldn't name a village Diablo Norte. Maybe the mayor of the village deserves the title but not the place.
Town names can be interesting. Due to the Paradise Series stories by Douglas Fox I got interested in the town names in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania when I checked if the place Bird-in-Hand really existed. It does, and it's about halfway between Paradise and Eden, hmm. Take a different line through the town and it's about midway between Intercourse and Fertility. The whole area has some of the common type of interesting names like Brownstown, Gordonville, Georgetown then gets into more physical things like Lime Valley, Nickel Mines, Farmersville, Gap, New Milltown, but you have to wonder about places with names like Blue Ball, Vintage, Smoketown, and Beartown. I'm sure they all have interesting stories about how they were named.
I checked if the place Bird-in-Hand really existed. It does
Is there a Two-in-the-Bush?
Is there a Two-in-the-Bush?
Not that I saw, but the local legend is the name comes from the saying.
As I understand it, the town names were a result of a dispute over the tax status of the Amish. PA state government shut down the legal proceedings citing tourism the Amish brought to the area, but the townships voted the names in to piss off the PA government and Amish. I understand they got sued over it, but the PA government lost that end of it.
None of which matters as the end result was both the town names and the Amish continue to pull in tourist. All of that was told to me by a older resident of intercourse and as such, is to be considered hearsay, but it made sense to me.