Costa Rica’s naked lucky charm is a charmer

While filming in Costa Rica [2] two years ago, TV producer and I were introduced to Ana Gabriela Alfaro, manager of the Hotel Parque del Lago [3] in San José [4], Costa Rica’s vibrant and bustling capital.

She led us into the delightful lobby-café, which has been turned into a small museum with a collection of dolls, figurines, and other exhibits that celebrate Costa Rica’s traditions, legends and cultures. Here, Ana introduced us to la nigüenta, a porcelain figure of a cherub-like naked girl, one foot raised onto the knee of her other leg, picking chiggers from between her chubby toes.

Click here [5] to see the segment Andres and I filmed, included at the 6:40 mark in a 22-minute show about Costa Rica.

Exclusive to Costa Rica, this endearing figure is a traditional good luck charm of the country dating back through the centuries.

Ana explained that this charming character is still a popular wedding gift among low-income families, who place them in the house for good luck. Instead of tickling a nigüenta’s feet, as I did, Costa Ricans might write a request on a piece of paper, or tape a lottery ticket to the agüizote (lucky charm) in hopes of hitting the jackpot or eliciting support for a favor. It helps to prime the porcelain girl’s powers by leaving a monetary token beside her. In the countryside years ago, impoverished families would even attach a tiny bag of rice or beans around a nigüenta’s neck to ensure enough food for the year to come.

The name derives from nigua, the local name for a tiny and bothersome tropical biting insect that commonly infected campesinos (peasant farmers) in days of old when they went around barefoot.

A generation ago, it was still common to find a nigüenta displayed in almost every Costa Rican home, typically beside a religious figurine or two, such as a representation of La Negrita (the ‘Black Virgin’ also known more formally as La Virgen de los Angeles).

The figurine is thought to be inspired, if not derived, from the much-copied Greco-Roman bronze statue ‘Boy with Thorn’ [6], in Rome’s Palazzo di Conservatori, depicting a naked Greek messenger boy so dedicated to his duty that he only stopped to pull a spine from his foot once he had accomplished his mission. However, Yensy Herrera, an archaeologist of Costa Rica’s National Museum [7], says the figure may derive from the image of indigenous female shamans.

As Jack Donnelly points out in a recent article in the Tico Times [8] newspaper, nigüentas make a potentially wonderful gift for superstitious travelers or those seeking something uniquely costarricense. Jack’s piece even shows a photo of a nigüenta that includes other international symbols of good luck, such as a horseshoe and shamrock, at its base.

Nigüenta’s can be purchased in San José [4]’s Mercado Central [9] (Central Market), where they cost between 2000 and 10,000 colones (US$4-20), depending on size. You can even find black nigüentas, for Costa Rica’s Afro-Caribbean community, such as depicted in the photo above.

The charm’s potency is considered greater if you receive one as a gift.

For complete information about culture and travel in Costa Rica, buy Moon Handbook Costa Rica [10]

If you're traveling only to San José and the Caribbean, buy Moon Spotlight Costa Rica's Caribbean Coast [11] pocket guide.

If you're traveling only to the beaches of Nicoya, buy Moon Spotlight Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula [12] pocket guide.

If you're traveling only to Arenal and/or Monteverde, buy Moon Spotlight Costa Rica's Arenal&Monteverde [13] pocket guide.

Learn more about Christopher P. Baker [14].

Disclosure: I occasionally accept free or discounted travel when it coincides with my editorial goals. However, my opinion is never for sale. The opinions you see in Cuba & Costa Rica Journal are my unbiased reflection of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Copyright © Christopher P. Baker [14]