Axolotl

With their showy gill frills and tadpole-tails, fantastical axolotls have captured the affection of anyone who’s ever looked into their rosy, smooth faces.

If you’ve never sought counsel from an axolotl, don’t worry. This coin will aid you in your decision-making quest!

• Metal: Solid Copper
• Diameter: 1.42 in / 36 mm
• Weight: 19.7 g / .69 oz
• Expert patina to highlight the engraving

Axolotls are native to the beautiful lakes and wetlands that make up the Valley of Mexico and share their history and home with ancient Mesoamerican societies.

The word “Axolotl” comes from the Nahuatl language. It is believed to be derived from “atl”, Nahuatl for “water”, and “Xolotl”, a dog-headed, shape-shifting Aztec deity of fire and lightning.

In Nahua folklore’s creation story of the Fifth Sun, Xolotl rebels against death and transforms himself into an axolotl to escape being sacrificed by his brother, Quetzalcóatl.

Because of Xolotl’s myriad of forms, the word “axolotl” can be translated a number of ways: “water dog”, “water monster”, “water twin”, and “water toy” are just a few!

Axolotls have perplexed naturalists for millennia with their ability to regenerate exact copies of their limbs, eyeballs, and even brains when injured! Axolotls snack on each other’s limbs from time to time, but what’s a little cannibalism between friends?

Gazing upon the axolotl’s enigmatic visage, one cannot help but exclaim, “that is baby”. Truly, they are. Axolotls are neotenic, which means they never metamorphosize into adults!

Coin design by Michael Shantz, engraved by Woody Maringer.  Learn more about our artists.

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