The Mystery and History of the Chihuahua

The origin and the history of the Chihuahua, a famous'itzcuintli', which has been translated by Spaniards as
breed of the present times, is quite old, dating back to'dog' due to its similarity with the animal. It is further
almost a couple of centuries. During this period, manystated that the Tepeitzcuintli is not a dog but a hutia or
civilizations have come and gone. In fact, the history ofa guinea pig with a humped back and a Roman nose
this famous breed is quite mysterious. Yet, there is nobut without any neck.
denying the fact that this is one of the top ten breedsHowever, nothing is certain about the origin of the
of dogs in America.Chihuahua. Some are of the view that the Chihuahua
A commonly accepted theory about the Chihuahua isoriginated as a result of the crossing of the Perro
that originally, it was a small dog known as TechichiChihuahua with the Techichi. Another mysterious fact
belonging to the Toltec people. The Toltecs were aabout the Chihuahua's origin is that there is simply no
primitive race of Mexico devastated by the Aztec. It isproof of a Chihuahua in Mexico between the time of
believed that Aztec had a dog named the Biche.the Spanish Conquest (i.e.1519) and nearly ninety-five
Another common belief of historians is that the Bicheyears ago.
and the Techichi interbred to produce the breedAnother theory hints at the appearance of the
known as the Chihuahua.Chihuahua along the border of Mexico in modern times.
The Aztecs were defeated by the barbarian SpanishThe appearance of the Chihuahua also coincides with
Conquistadors. However, they accepted the fact thatthe ship that arrived from Asia. Americans bought the
the Aztecs had dogs and the modern historians toofirst Chihuahuas at Juarez which is in the state of
consider this to be a truth. But they seem to beChihuahua, Mexico and hence, the name of the dog,
ignoring that everything including the sloth, opossum orthe Chihuahua. But, there is not any evidence of the
even raccoons were called a dog by theAztecs living in the state of Chihuahua.
Conquistadors.The registration of the first Chihuahua dog, the smallest
So, it still is unclear whether a mute dog found by thedog in the world, dates back to 1904. From that time
Conquistadors in Mexico, West Indies, Central Americaonwards this breed starting rising and even became
and parts of northern South America was actually athe sixth popular breed of dogs in America. It is also
dog or any other lifeform. Meanwhile, according to avery playful but a poor eater. It can be trained easily
famous historian Manuel Orozco y Berra, theand has a sharp memory.
Chihuahua did originate with the Aztecs and theNo doubt, the history of the Chihuahua is quite
Toltecs.mysterious, yet it is considered to be one of the most
According to Historia Antigua y de la Conquista delikeable breed by the Americans as it is quite
Mexico, a classic history of Mexico, the Aztecs hadaffectionate with people.
three domesticated quadrupeds known by the word