Chihuahua History: From Aztec Treasure to Popular Companion
The smallest of the DogsAustralia registered breeds, Chihuahuas have been subjected to a few undeserved misconceptions. The Chihuahua is a stable, friendly, and healthy dog who isn’t afraid of an agility tunnel or going along on the family camping trip.
Even the Chihuahua’s homeland is up for debate. Most likely a native of Mexico, some experts in the breed have theorised that the Chihuahua may have been brought from the island of Malta by the Spanish conquistadors. Others speculate that the breed may have originated in China.
Things get even stranger when we learn that early writing made wild claims, such as that the Chihuahua wasn’t fully canine, or that they were even related to chipmunks.
In his colourful history of the Chihuahua, William Miller (a well known US Breeder) writes, “We know that the Toltec people of Mexico kept a little dog known as the Techichi, which had a fat body and large, Chihuahua-like ears. When the Aztecs came into power, the nobility of that society owned the little dogs. These dogs were more than just companion animals. This dog was believed to have been bred with the Xoloitzcuintli, the Mexican hairless dog, to produce the Chihuahua as we know it today.
An Aztec Treasure
As history and power would have it, the Toltecs civilisation gave way to the Aztecs (not by choice) during the 11th century.
The Aztecs believed that when an Aztec noble would die, it was necessary to slay a Chihuahua and bury or cremate it with the body of the human. They believed that the spirit of the dead Chihuahua would act as a guide through the afterlife for the soul of the dead noble.
The human spirit needed help swimming across a river into the afterlife and would crawl onto the back of the Chihuahua spirit to reach his heavenly destination in the afterlife. There is evidence that the nobility kept large packs of hundreds of dogs.
Potts adds that Chihuahuas “were almost a form of money, and used in trading.” But at some point, the Chihuahua had the good fortune to become “average,” and most homes had one.
Courtesy of the AKC Library and Archives
Separating into Two Varieties
It took over 50 years before the long and smooth coats were exhibited at dog shows. In the US in 1952, they were separated into two varieties with the smooth coat the preferred variety as pets. One year prior to this, Ch. Attas’ Gretchen, a smooth coat Chihuahua, won the first all-breed Best in Show, a milestone for the breed.
The famous bandleader Xavier Cugat did much to popularise Chihuahuas in the 1940s and 50s. More recently, these natural performers stole the show in popular films and TV shows, including “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” “Legally Blonde,” and “Sex and the City.” The minor-league baseball team of El Paso, Texas, is also named the Chihuahuas.
Credit: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/chihuahua-history/