Two Antennae, Six Legs, 14 Karats

While traveling in Vera Cruz, Mexico, Clarice witnesses a puzzling sight. A 12-year-old girl buys a live beetle, the back of which is encrusted with fake jewels. Using a gold chain attached to a small safety pin, the girl fastens the glittering creature above her heart and excitedly shows it to her friends.

What did it mean?

The girl was reenacting a popular Mayan legend called Maquech. One version tells of a princess who falls in love with a commoner. When her displeased father asks a witch to make the suitor vanish, the witch transforms him into a beetle. Devastated by her lover’s disappearance, the girl searches for him everywhere.

One day, while the mournful maiden sits beneath a tree, the enchanted beetle approaches. In Mayan, she asks, “Maquech?” (“Who are you?”) When the creature reveals he is her lover, the joyful princess carries him home, covers him with diamonds, emeralds and rubies and forever wears him over her heart.

While the Mexican custom of wearing gem-covered beetles to recreate this romantic tale is now prevalent primarily with preteen girls, in the 1960s, adults wore the living costume jewelry, too. Wealthy women wore them despite the hazards. Abrazos (embraces) were limited for fear of crushing the creatures, and one could not wear a wrap lest they be smothered.

Among European tourists, jeweled beetles used to be a popular souvenir from Mexico. However, the U.S. Agriculture Department has banned these beautified bugs from entering this country.

Folklorist Norine Dresser is the author of “Multicultural Manners” (Wiley, 1996). Tell her your stories through Voices or by e-mail: 71204.1703@compuserve.com