As barbaric as it sounds the practice of gluing fake gems and velvet to maquech/makech beetles then attaching a chain and selling them to tourists is still being done in the Yucatan. Did I mention the beetles are alive? The thumb sized beetles are a type of wood beetle that can live for years without food and rarely need water making them the perfect pet to adorn your clothing and they are eye catching when they move about. Thankfully it is illegal to bring them across the border though like most things several are smuggled into the US which in turn is making them an endangered species. This tradition is nothing short of cruel even though they are only beetles they shouldn't have to starve for someone to make a fashion statement.
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