Tijuana, October 20.— Inspired by pre-Hispanic legends and tales, not only for its unusual appearance but also for its fascinating characteristics that attract audiences of all ages, the Mexican axolotl is the newest species to join the Tijuana Cultural Center Aquarium (Cecut), an institution of the federal Ministry of Culture.
Five specimens, three albino and two leucistic, meaning pink with black eyes, can be admired in one of the 19 habitats that make up the Cecut Aquarium, along with another 500 aquatic specimens from the region and various locations around the world.
Its name comes from a derivation of the Nahuatl word atl-xolotl, which means "water monster." In Aztec culture, this creature was the aquatic representation of Xolotl, one of their most important gods, also considered the brother of Quetzalcoatl.
In Mexico, there are 16 endemic species that inhabit areas covered by vegetation and calm waters in Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Querétaro, Hidalgo, the State of Mexico, Mexico City, Morelos, Tlaxcala, Puebla, and Veracruz.
