Myrtle Watkins (June 23, 1908 – November 10, 1968) was an American-born Mexican dancer, jazz and Latin American music singer, and actress, who became known in the United States and Mexico by her stage name, Paquita Zarate.

In the winter of 1928, Myrtle joined the cast of the second version of Lew Leslie's "Blackbirds." By May 1930, she was performing in the chorus of the Embassy cabaret floor show, S.H. Dudley Jr.'s "Hot-Stuff." The following year, she traveled to Spain, where she performed semi-nude under the name Perla de Oriente, imitating the renowned Spanish dancer Carmen Tortola Valencia in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville. Returning to France in 1934, she was welcomed by Ada Bricktop Smith, who postponed the opening of her new club until Myrtle's arrival. Subsequently, Myrtle embarked on a European tour, gracing stages in England, Holland, Belgium, Turkey, Germany, and Hungary.

In late 1935, while touring India, Myrtle met Lall Singh, a Malaysian cricket player who temporarily left the sport to accompany her as her theatrical agent and later became her husband. During the spring of 1937, at the Paris Exposition Internationale, she was joined by Samuel Bonifacio Zarate (May 14, 1909 – May 21, 1997), a Mexican violinist celebrated for his virtuoso skills and a graduate of the Mexican National Conservatory, where he studied under Luis G. Saloma. Zarate had received a scholarship from the Mexican government to further his studies in Paris at the l'Ecole Normale Superieur. He and Myrtle quickly formed a musical partnership.

By the fall of 1939, while touring Poland, Myrtle, now using the stage name Paquita, found herself in a precarious situation as the atmosphere in Europe grew tense. While performing on Radio-Warsaw and at La Bagatelle club in Katowice, the outbreak of World War II occurred on September 1, prompting her to secure documents for an urgent return to Paris as Poland mobilized for defense.

After spending some time, likely in Vichy France, Myrtle and Zarate moved to India. They achieved considerable success in Bombay and Calcutta before escaping to Mexico in 1943. However, they eventually relocated to Los Angeles in the late 1940s, seeking more opportunities in the entertainment industry. They became regular performers in Los Angeles, Reno, Salt Lake City, San Jose, and Eugene, Oregon. In 1951, they sought American neutrality to establish their presence more firmly in the United States.

In 1957, Sam Zarate launched his own music recording company, ZARPAC, operating in both Los Angeles and Portland. The following year, they released a religious album featuring songs dedicated to various world religions, including Hinduism and Christianity. In 1959, the couple purchased a small green house named ‘Trails End’ on six acres of brushland between Lincoln City and Depoe Bay, Oregon. They built a studio for Zarate to teach violin, guitar, piano, flute, and organ, instruments he had mastered over the years, while Myrtle offered lessons in dance and multiple languages. They also established The Gingerbread House restaurant, serving traditional Spanish and Indian cuisine. Local children attended their Happy Village Cultural Center, although it struggled financially, particularly as Myrtle became increasingly involved with the children, impacting her health, which was already compromised by diabetes. To sustain their activities, they made numerous appearances along the West Coast.

Myrtle ‘Paquita’ Zarate passed away on November 10, 1968, from complications related to diabetes. Samuel Zarate continued to perform in Oregon and Mexico until his death in 1997.