Ajlotes/Axolotls are salamanders native to two spring-fed lakes in the Basin of Mexico, Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco. These lakes are the last remnants of a vast water transportation system built by the Aztecs. The word "axolotl" comes from the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs and means "water dog." Sadly, Ajlotes have become critically endangered due to the drainage of the marshes, swamps, and lagoons in the Xochimilco-Chalco Basin.
