As Mexico City prepares to host five World Cup matches, including the competition opener on Thursday, visitors are greeted by an unexpected, wide-grinned mascot: the axolotl.

This unique salamander, native to the region, is splashed in vibrant purple across murals, subway cars, and even depicted in sculptures dribbling a soccer ball, becoming an unofficial symbol of the global event.

Named after the Nahuatl word for “water monster,” the axolotl (pronounced ah-sho-LO-tul) has been embraced by the city’s World Cup branding. However, despite the undeniable charm of this almost otherworldly creature, its widespread use has sparked significant backlash from many “Chilangos,” as Mexico City residents are known.

Critics argue that the cheerful portrayal of the critically endangered animal serves as a distraction from the capital’s pressing infrastructure problems and its glaring lack of genuine conservation efforts. The concerns are stark: scientists attempting to count axolotls in their natural habitat report not having seen a single one in two years.

This growing discontent has fueled a campaign against what has been dubbed “axolotlization,” leading to a wave of internet memes featuring Godzilla-like axolotls rampaging through the city.

The Mexico City government has not responded to requests for comment regarding the controversy.

Amidst the debate, some hope the increased visibility might spark positive change. Ernesto Velazquez, 19, who operates an axolotl-themed stand selling cuddly toys in Chapultepec park, expressed his hope that the newly painted images could drive greater 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 man-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 under 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 colorful barges attract boisterous boat parties – remains one of the axolotl’s last hiding places.

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

Vania Mendoza, who coordinated the census, said she and a small team would set out onto the canals on barges before dawn throughout the winter to try to count axolotls in their nets.

They did not find any, but by analyzing the water for DNA, they were able to confirm that some axolotls survive in the canals. UNAM is preparing to publish its results by late summer.

“We know they’re there,” Mendoza said.

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.

Andres Huerta, 28, a pharmacist from Phoenix, Arizona, visiting during the World Cup, told Reuters he knew little about axolotls before arriving, but was impressed by a large mural he saw after landing at the airport.

“It’s really beautiful,” he said.

Outside the Azteca stadium, where the opening match will be held, a football-themed axolotl statue named ‘Ajologol’ was removed last month. Mayor Clara Brugada told reporters too many people had been taking photos and blocking the way in, but that Ajologol would soon be resettled nearby.

For UNAM ecologist 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.