Before A/C we had some tricks here that we have mostly forgotten about.
Deep verandas.
Those, usually richer, Victorian homes with rooms with high ceilings were partly in response to heat.
Real double hung windows that you could vent up top to let the heat out, as well as the lower sash.
Louvered doors for air flow.
Screened sleeping porches.
Ventable transoms over doors allowed heat to vent and brought natural light to windowless hallways.
We knew where to plant deciduous trees on the East and West sides of homes to provide max shade those sides from summer morning and afternoon sun.
No siestas but things slowed down during the hottest part of the day.
