Federico Stories Extras

Play the Timeless Stories Memory Game Discover the mirrored legends behind Spanish Mirrors through a simple memory game. Match the cards, explore the folklore, and see how stories from different cultures reflect each other. If the game does not load, open it here: Timeless Stories Memory Game

In the 2020s, I visited Toledo for the first time — a peculiar town woven with narrow alleys and timeless stone buildings. Among its winding streets, a small bar caught my eye: La Taberna del Cardenal . I stepped inside and ordered a glass of wine with some tapas. The barman, a gruff yet friendly man, quickly picked up on my unusual accent. "Are you from an English-speaking country?" he asked, curious. I smiled and explained that I wasn't — but that I had spent almost a decade living abroad before finally returning to Spain. We struck up a conversation. As we spoke, he revealed that his family had lived in Toledo for over 300 years. With a certain pride — and a hint of unease — he told me about the old Jewish quarter nearby, and a narrow, forgotten alley known as El Callejón del Diablo — the Devil's Alley. A shadowy corridor, flanked by crumbling stone walls, steeped in whispered tales and ominous legends. And among all the stories, there was one that had haunted...

During colonial times, in Cartago in Costa Rica lived an alluring girl. She was stonishing as an orchid, with incredible curves, beautiful busts, shapely legs, and a face like no other. However, she was supercilious and didn't have any consideration for her parents. She often humiliated and disobeyed them because she was very upset that they were extremely poor. She couldn't understand why their parents didn't work harder so they could leave the poorest neighborhood and join the elite where she belonged. Years passed and one day, the alluring girl received an invitation from a wealthy and handsome Spanish man to attend a dance in his mansion. Her mother opposed it since the Spaniard was recognized as a womanizer who had no morals toward women. The young girl got enraged with her mom. She blasphemed against her and filled their humble house with expletives. Her mother just watched her daughter and cried in silence. The young girl was so frustrated that suddenly she raised he...

Many years ago, during the Spanish colonization, a new priest was assigned to Patarrá in Costa Rica. For a while, the residents considered him an incredible person with unbreakable "values." He seemed to be the most honest and loyal person in town, a true representative of their Lord Jesus Christ. Several months passed, and a mysterious Spanish man, wearing a  mask, began to visit Escazú (a nearby town to Patarrá). He was a womanizer, greedy and brazen as no one the residents had ever met. He loved gambling in the bars every other night. The poor residents lost thousands of silver coins every time they played against him. He seemed to be unbeatable. And after his wins, he always chose the best woman and enjoyed his deserved "adventures." The masked man became notoriously wealthy as a few people. He had been earning tons of silver without limits. Everyone began getting suspicious of where he was from and where he was saving his insane fortune. Banks didn't exist ...

Long ago, when I was still young in 1997, I was coming back blind drunk to my house in Mixco, Guatemala. It had been a fantastic Friday; I had drunk several fine beers with my friends, and I felt like the king of that place. However, I would remember that night for the rest of my life, but not for this specific reason. I was not sure where I was going when suddenly I almost fell down on a massive cliff. How did I survive, you might be wondering? To be honest, I just felt an extremely fast wind that shoved me from the cliff. I hit the pavement very badly. The strange wind followed me from the distance until I arrived home safely. I am convinced the same wind had been protecting me before, but I was never sure if it had been my imagination only or something else, until that day. During the following weeks, I went to visit a childhood friend who lived in Jutiapa. I shared with him my odd experience with this odd wind that saved me. He was somehow concerned because he recognized what this...

Long ago, a black horseman started to appear in the streets of Puebla. His appearance was extremely curious because he was dressed in a black suit with some gold and silver buttons. He was gallant with an elongated figure and an imposing posture. Also, he rode a peculiar horse with fur of the same color, with eyes that look like two balls of fire. No one could understand why someone so elegant had come to their lands, but the truth was that he was the devil's personal collector and had come to collect the fees of his master. Everything started in Tlaxcala just after the Spanish Independence. The black horseman (El Charro Negro in Spanish) was born into a very humble family, something he never accepted. He always hated to have his hands full of dirt because of his work and he could never achieve the riches he deserved. He felt he was destined to become the best of the best. The black horseman felt so bad that he had a very low status that he preferred to go without eating to collec...