  We consider the Pohlmeyer reduction for spacelike minimal area worldsheets in
AdS$_5$. The Lax pair for the reduced theory is found, and written entirely in
terms of the $A_3=D_3$ root system, generalizing the $B_2$ affine Toda system
which appears for the AdS$_4$ string. For the $B_2$ affine Toda system, we show
that the area of the worlsheet is obtainable from the moduli space K\"ahler
potential of a related Hitchin system. We also explore the Saveliev-Leznov
construction for solutions of the $B_2$ affine Toda system, and recover the
rotationally symmetric solution associated to Painleve transcendent.
