Ahead of the World Cup, Mexico City has turned the axolotl into a kind of unofficial mascot. The smiling salamander now appears on trains, murals, bridges and public art across the capital. Mexicans love the axolotl: It’s local, iconic and deeply tied to the city’s identity. But the real thing is disappearing from the wild. The World’s Tibisay Zea looks into the debate over celebrating the animal while the ecosystem it depends on remains at risk.