Alluding to the resemblance between the cactus stem and Aztec sculpture.

Body solitary or clustering, more or less compressed spherical and grey-green. Ribs 8-15, strongly wrinkled and ridged. Spines 1-3 per areole, flattened, upwardly curved and pressed to the stem, often soon shed. Areoles continuous, woolly. Flowers at apex, funnel shaped, to about 1.5 cm wide, 3 cm long, white to pale lilac. Pericarpel and flower tube naked. Fruit concealed in apical wool.

The single species in the genus is A. ritteri (Boed.) Boed. which may be easily grown as a graft.

Characteristic appearance with extremely wrinkled ribs and almost no spines except at the body apex.

1-2 species from NE Mexico (Nuevo Leon).

Source: Thompson, A, ; Forbes, S.; Spencer, R. (1997). Cactaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 2. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 1. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.