The Maquech

My fiance', our kids and I were first talking about rabbit's feet, which went into the lizards you used to be able to purchase at the Pomona L.A. County Fair (do you remember those?). They were LIVE LIZARDS on a string or chain that got pinned onto your clothing. Very popular item at the Fair back in the day.
Well, I couldn't find any pics of those, but then my fiance asked if I remembered "maqueches". I told him I had never heard of them. He grew up in L.A., so maybe that was something popular way back when out there. As he began to describe them, I was in total awe. Really? I wanna see one! So I ran to my computer to look them up....ok, I didn't run, but I DID really want to see if I could find what he was talking about. So this is them. This is what I found. Amazing isn't it? It's strange what people will do.
I just wanted to share this fascinating tid bit.

I found the following at this link if you'd like to read the entire article:
http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:5vo6nPOZbZYJ:www.caribbeantravelmag.com/article/Magazine/Deep-in-the-Heart-of-El-Mundo-Maya+maquech&cd=13&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

Mirida is known for its silver- and gold-dipped jewelry, but being a New Yorker, I figured this was a hustle. So, naturally, I couldn't pass it up. I guarantee you've never seen a maquech, nor will you anywhere, unless you come to Merida.

A maquech is a jeweled beetle about the size of a country cockroach. I don't mean an ornament shaped like a bug; I mean a real live beetle that's had bits of gold and small jewels glued to its shell. A two-inch gold chain serves as a kind of dog collar, and this, in turn, is pinned to a woman's blouse -- yes, with her in it. As the mood strikes the maquech, it strolls to the end of the chain and back. Rafael explained that it was custom for women to buy these things to attract husbands. Maybe, if the guy works for Orkin.