What is comprachicos?

Comprachicos were a real group of people who existed in Spain and France in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were practitioners of the heinous practice of mutilating and deforming children in order to turn them into performers or beggars. The term "comprachico" comes from the Spanish word "compra" meaning to buy and "chico" meaning child.

Comprachicos would purchase or kidnap children and then perform surgical procedures to manipulate their bodies and faces in order to create deformities that would make them more appealing as performers. These children were often sold to circuses, fairs, and other entertainment venues where they would be forced to perform for audiences.

The practice of comprachicos was eventually outlawed and condemned as barbaric, but it remains a dark and disturbing chapter in history. The story of the comprachicos has been fictionalized in various literary works, most notably in the novel "The Man Who Laughs" by Victor Hugo.