Page 44 - SYTYGIB_Aztec

A lot of people get vErY jittery when a beastie comes into their house. Be it a spider, a moth or a wasp, they’ll get a nasty case of the hEeBiE-JeEbIeS.
If that sounds like you, one superstition the Aztecs believed would be right up your scary street. That’s because there was a particular creepy-crawly that was thought to be BiG trouble.
Howdy!
Say “howdy” to the pinauiztli beetle.
If it came into your house it could be a warning that illness would follow, or some other evil
would afflict the household. It could even mean DeAtH, which is really inconvenient, apparently.
To find out what might happen, the Aztecs would draw a cross on the floor to symbolise the points of a compass. If the beetle scuttled north – which was where Mictlan, the Realm of the Dead, lay — then it meant you would die. Bummer!
If it went in other directions the consequences would be less severe. Cue the whole family blowing in a beetle’s little beetley face to make sure it didn’t head north.
North is DEFINITELY that way.
Of course! Would I lie to you?
Are you sure?
Yes.
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