Lake Texcoco — Ahuizotl's monster haunts the last remnant of the Aztec lake

Lake Texcoco, the great lake upon which the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan was built, has been largely drained over centuries of urban development. The remaining patches of the lake and its marshy remnants in the State of Mexico are associated with one of the most terrifying creatures in Aztec mythology — the Ahuizotl, a water-dwelling monster described as resembling a dog or monkey with a hand at the end of its tail. The Ahuizotl would use this hand to grab people from the shore and drag them underwater, drowning them and then consuming their eyes, teeth, and nails. Fishermen and residents near the surviving lake areas report hearing a crying sound from the water — similar to a baby or a small dog — that is attributed to the Ahuizotl. Some describe seeing a dark shape moving just below the water's surface that does not match any known animal. The partial apparition of figures emerging from the water has also been reported, possibly the ghosts of the Ahuizotl's victims. Lake Texcoco's mythological significance to Aztec civilization — it was the location where the eagle perched on a cactus, the foundational myth of Mexico itself — gives its supernatural legends a weight that transcends mere ghost stories.