Chihuahua History
The explorer Christopher Columbus wrote a letter to the King of Spain that spoke of a dog he had encountered on
their island that is now Cuba. In this letter he described a small kind of dog that seems mute as it doesn't bark as
usual. He then went on to tell the king that the dog was domesticated.
The dog Columbus wrote about was an ancestor of the present day Chihuahua called the Techichi. Scholars and
archaeologists have been able to date the Techichi as far back as the Toltecs occupation of Mexico in the 9th
century A.D.
Solid evidence of the Techichi's presence during this time period can be found in pictures carved into stones. These
stones were originally part of the Pyramids of Choluda built by the Toltecs but appropriated by Franciscan monks
to build the Monastery of Huejotzingo around 1530. In these carvings can be found both full body and head pictures
of the Techichi's that bear a striking resemblance to the present day Chihuahua.
After the Aztecs conquered the Toltecs, the small dog was still highly regarded by the rich. Both the Toltecs and
the Aztecs often used the Techichi as a connection in the worship of deities as well as the voyage of the dead into
the afterlife. They became popular pets with the rare blue colored being considered as sacred. The red colored ones
were used as sacrifices. These sacrifices were burned to ashes with the corpse of the human dead because it was
believed the sins of the human could be transferred in the burning to the dog. Once the sins were settled upon the
dog, any anger by the Gods towards the human could be averted. The Techichi were also accredited with steering
the humans soul through the dark, vast regions of the underworld while protecting it from evil until the soul
reached his or her final resting point.
Although the Chihuahua as we know it was discovered in the Mexican State of Chihuahua around 1850, the
greatest concentration of artifacts and stone carvings depicting the small breed are found around Mexico City.
Scholars of the Chihuahua believe the Chinese hairless dogs somehow crossed the ancient land bridge that was
across the Bering Straight between what is now Alaska and Asia. It is theorized that somehow these two breeds
were crossed and produced the tiny Chihuahuas of today.
The first modern day Chihuahua registered with the American Kennel Club was Midget in 1905. Fanciers of the
Chihuahua have grown until it has become one of the most consistently popular breeds. They can be found in two
varieties, smooth coated and longhaired. Of the two, the smooth coated has been the most popular but in recent
years, the longhaired variety is closing in.
*Interesting enough, the Chi's popularity came after the entertainer, Xavier Cugat,
"The Rumba King" began appearing everywhere with his tiny Chihuahua dog.