30 May 2025 / 10 House
Article suitable for Top Juniors and above
Find out moreAxolotls in Mexica(n)/Aztec mythology
ORIGINAL QUESTION received from - and thanks to - Emma: Thanks for the great website! I’m searching for information on axolotls and their role in Mexican mythology, folklore and arts. The story of Xolotl is often mentioned but I’m having trouble finding anything else. I assumed that since axolotls have lived alongside people by the chinampa farms that there would be a lot of material related to this animal. I know that axolotls have been eaten and that they are thought to have healing abilities but it would be interesting to know more details about this. Sharing these stories would also most likely benefit the conservation of this critically endangered animal. Thanks for your time, all information is most welcome! (Answered by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore)
You raise very interesting points here - thanks!
We’ve answered your question as fully as we can in our Aztec Flora and Fauna section - follow link below...
Image from the Florentine Codex (original in the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence) scanned from our own copy of the Club Internacional del Libro 3-volume facsimile edition, Madrid, 1994.
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