A statue of Vanushka lies on her tomb in the El Calvario Cemetery in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Vanushka was a young Roma woman when she moved with her family from eastern Europe to Xela running a circus. Vanushka captured fell for the son of one of Xela’s elite families. The boy’s parents were not happy and subsequently sent him to Spain in order to separate the two.Vanushka was heartsick and waited for him to come back to her. Eventually she married, but she never loved her husband. Life became unbearable, so she killed herself. The legend is that she died of a broken heart, which is true enough. Now, what makes her story memorable is that her grave was always adorned with fresh red roses. It is believed that the man she loved did come back, and he carried the burden of her death. He brought roses to her grave until he died. After that, citizens of Xela began bringing roses to and asking her for help with their love lives, almost like a saint. The people whose prayers were answered would paint her grave. And that’s how it goes today. People write their requests on her tomb, and if they’re granted they promise to bring roses or to paint the tomb.
