The Chihuahua

 Also known as the ChiChi, the Chihuahua is the tiniest dog in the world and is believed to have originated from Mexico and is named from the state Chihuahua in Mexico and has a long history. Legends have it that this breed was involved in religious worship during the time of the Aztecs and there are carvings about the Chihuahuas that have been unearthed in some pyramids of Cholula in Mexico. It is believed that the Chihuahua was the descendents of ancient and bigger dogs that the royalty in Aztec civilizations reared and were known as the Techichi. However, there is little archaeological evidence to support these beliefs and many, in fact ascribe its origins to being brought to Mexico by Spaniards.

According to current theory, the Spaniards, as merchants, brought the Chihuahua to Spain through the trade routes with China and thenceforth to Mexico. Since Chinese were known for dwarfing animals the theory gained ground that the Chihuahua originated from China. There are other theories as well as and one such is that they originated from Egypt and were brought to Spain through trade with Egyptians and from Spain came to Mexico with the Spaniards. The Chihuahua came to America from Mexico and has since been bred there and is the oldest and smallest breed in this part of the world as well as worldwide. 

It may be a native of Mexico but it seems that the Chinese may have brought it from China and it was only known to Europeans in the late nineteenth century. It may be the product of cross breeding with the Techichi dogs of the Toltecs as well as hairless dogs that came from China and the Techichi is known to be a heavy boned small dog with a long coat that is native to Central America and was most definitely a part of the Toltec civilization near what is today Mexico city. The Techichi dogs were mute and larger than the Chihuahua dog. 

When the Toltecs were conquered by the Aztecs they adopted these tiny dogs and considered them as sacred icons of the elite and used them in religious ceremonies to expunge sins and act as guides for the spirits of dead Aztecs. The Techichi and Oriental hairless breeds were crossbred in some point of time in history and they were further brought to the New World through the Bering Strait land bridge. This was perhaps how the modern day Chihuahua first came into existence. In the late 1850s, this breed was discovered and grew in popularity and was first registered with the American Kennel Club in the year 1904. One should also be keen to learn all about the Chihuahua temperament if one is seriously considering having it as a pet dog.

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