The axolotl, a mythical creature that has enchanted the world with its amazing characteristics, is not only an extraordinary animal with regenerative abilities, but has been part of the ancestral culture of Mexico. The amphibian was positioned as an enigmatic animal for the indigenous people who saw it as a mythological being capable of defying death. For this reason, the axolotl stars in an ancient legend that tells us the story of the creation of the Fifth Sun.
The name axolotl itself comes from the Nahuatl axólotl, which is made up of two words, ‘atl’ which means ‘water’ and ‘xólotl’ which means ‘monster’. Therefore, the axolotl was conceived by traditional peoples as a water monster, the aquatic devotion of the god Xólotol, the twin brother of Quetzalcóatl.
According to Aztec mythology, the legend of the axolotl takes place in Teotihuacán where the Sun and Moon were created. In this sacred place the Fifth Sun was conceived, which is the era we are currently going through according to the Aztec sun stone, which also predicts that the era will end due to great earthquakes.
The legend of the axolotl
In the beginning of the Fifth Sun nothing existed, only emptiness in absolute darkness. Then the gods gathered to create a new era, beginning with light. They proposed the sacrifice of two gods so that they would burn in fire and thus create the Sun and the Moon.
Tecuciztécatl, a precious, adorned and pretentious god, offered to be the first to jump into the fire. But no other god offered to keep him company, so they made a consensus to choose the second creator and Nanahuatzin, the bubbly, mangy god, who barely spoke, was chosen to accompany Tecuciztécatl.
Then a huge bonfire was set up in Teotexcalli, the ‘home of the divine’, there Tecuciztécatl offered thorns made with precious stones, quetzal feathers and gold to the fire, while Nanahuatzin offered maguey thorns covered in his blood.
With all the gods watching, Teoxtecalli burned in fire for four nights. The bonfire was ready for the sacrifice of the gods, however, Tecuciztécatl did not have the courage to throw himself into the fire and Nanahuatzin did so without a word. When the precious god observed the courage of his companion, he threw himself into the bonfire and the two burned with great impetus.
After a few moments, the bubose god reemerged as a great star of light, the Sun, which appeared in the east as a being that illuminates the Earth. On the other hand, he reemerged from the flames Tecuciztécatl in the form of the Moon. However, neither of them had movement, how could the Earth live without moving light. The gods suddenly had an idea:
“Let us sacrifice ourselves and make him resurrect with movement through our death.” It was decided that Echécatl, god of the wind, would be in charge of killing the gods. However, history says that there was one of them, Xólotl, Quetzalcoátl’s twin, who refused to.
A moment before Ehécatl sacrificed Xólotl, the latter said: “O gods, may I not die!” And he cried so much that his eyes swelled, but something unexpected happened. When Ehécatl arrived to kill him, Xólotl escaped in terror and fled towards the cornfields where he remained hidden among the cornfields. There he took the form of the corn stalk that the farmers call ‘xólotl’, but even then he was not safe from the wind.
When Ehécatl discovered him, he ran and hid in the maguey trees, taking the form of a mexólotl (maguey with two bodies), but his tactic didn’t work either and Ehécatl caught him. Then the god who refused to die decided to flee towards him, becoming an axolotl, but only to find the death sentence turned into an axolotl. Since then, the axolotl has been established as the animal that refuses to die and