In Mexico City, axolotls are everywhere before the World Cup, except in the wild

One of the first things visitors arriving in Mexico City for the FIFA football World Cup are likely to see is the wide grin of an axolotl — with the salamander ​unique to this part of the world splashed in bright purple on murals and subway cars or depicted in sculptures dribbling a soccer ball.

Named after ‌the Nahuatl word for “water monster”, the axolotl (pronounced ah-sho-LO-tul) has become the unofficial mascot as the city gears up to host five World Cup matches.

But despite the undoubted cuteness of the almost otherworldly axolotl, the use of its image has drawn backlash from many Mexico City residents, who say the poppy portrayal of the critically endangered animal is being used to distract from ​both the infrastructure problems of the capital and its lack of conservation efforts.

Scientists trying to count axolotls in the wild say they have not seen a single ​one in two years. The Mexico City government did not respond to requests for comment.

Ernesto Velazquez, 19, who runs an axolotl-themed stand selling cuddly toys in Chapultepec park, said he hopes ​the newly painted images around the city can drive more interest in conservation.

“Some foreigners have asked if you can eat them – well no, they’re at risk of extinction,” he said. “I hope ​the World Cup will help people learn more so we take better care of them.”

A disappearing habitat

For centuries, Ambystoma mexicanum, an amphibian that remains living in water through its life cycle, thrived between chinampas — farms built on human-made floating islands that once sustained the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, where modern-day Mexico City lies.

The lake the city was built on was largely drained during colonial rule and its remnants are being used ​up and contaminated by the growing urban sprawl.

But the city’s southern Xochimilco district, known for its maze of muddy canals whose spooky folklore and colourful barges attract boisterous boat parties, ​remains one of the axolotl’s last hiding places.

UNAM, Mexico’s top university, identified around 36 axolotls per sq. km in Xochimilco in 2014 — a steep drop from the 6,000 per sq. km in 1998. The latest ‌census began in ⁠2024, and, two years later, researchers have yet to find a single axolotl.

Soccer and mass tourism

Luis Zambrano, who heads UNAM’s ecological restoration laboratory, ​said that besides a constant flow of poorly ​treated wastewater, fresh dangers to the axolotl ⁠include chinampas being turned into soccer pitches and the overcrowding of what began as ecological tourism.

Axolotls consume oxygen through their skin, making them highly vulnerable to water pollution.

“Mass tourism has become a terrible problem now with the World Cup,” said Zambrano. “The government thinks more is better, ​but that’s not true in these areas of high ecological value.”

Even as their habitat disappears, axolotls are widely bred in captivity. Scientists ​believe their unique skin ⁠mucus and ability to regrow limbs and even parts of their brain offer promising leads in cancer research.

For Zambrano, the axolotls’ viral popularity has yet to translate into concrete action that could save their home. “People prefer to see them in ​fish tanks,” he said.