No wonder: Mexicans have "saved" 12.5 million in axolotl bills
Xochimilco minting.- According to the Bank of Mexico ( Banxico , for its tender acronym), Mexicans have saved more than 12.5 million pesos in axolotl bills, and that would explain why those copies are hardly in circulation.
Since this $50 peso bill was released in 2021, people have had a very special affection for it... so much so that they find it "hard" to spend it, as if they were saying goodbye to a miniature work of art.
The axolotl banknote has caused a shortage of currencyAxolotl Quetzalcoatl • @_pandemuerto_ #neomexicanismos pic.twitter.com/NdzJzCU9cK
— NeoMexicanismos (@NeoMexicanismos) May 3, 2025
This banknote alludes to ancient Mexico with the founding of Tenochtitlán on the front and an axolotl on the back, and it's the latter that sparks collective fascination. As soon as someone receives one, they cherish it as if it were a holy card or a collectible subway ticket.
The banknote is so beautiful that, in 2022, the International Bank Note Society (IBNS) recognized it as the most beautiful of the year, reinforcing the theory that the axolotl should be declared a “national animal” and patriotic symbol instead of the eagle devouring snakes (which, admittedly, is scarier).
#NewsNow 🐸💵 The axolotl bill becomes a collector's item: 12.5 million pesos out of circulation! 📊🇲🇽 #AxolotlBill https://t.co/4OQhWka91O pic.twitter.com/GY5YxHTJhp
— Momento Newspaper (@PrensaMomento) June 29, 2025
At the time, our note beat the 200-dobra note from Sao Tome and Principe, which was also very pretty, but had no chinampas or smiling amphibians.
Thus, according to a study conducted by Banxico, there are an estimated 12.5 million pesos in axolotl bills stashed in drawers, notebooks, diaries, and makeshift altars, belonging to people who simply refuse to spend them. And it is suspected that the actual figure could be much higher.
“ They gave it to me as change at the store, and I couldn't spend it… I kept it with my 2008 movie tickets,” a woman confessed, her voice cracking and her hand clutching a plastic bag.
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