Ancient Beginnings
The Chihuahua is thought to have its origins date back to the ninth century — prior to the Mayan civilization. References to the Chihuahua's progenitors appear throughout the legends, artifacts, and artwork of Mexico and Central and South America's ancient civilizations. The pyramids of Cholula contain materials (predating 1530) showing a dog that strongly resembles the modern-day Chihuahua. Relics from the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula reveal additional visual proof that a Chihuahua-like dog existed during the fifth century.
One of the ancient breeds believed to have played a significant part in the development of today's Chihuahua was the Techichi — a longhaired, small breed that was raised by the Toltecs, possibly as early as the ninth century, and that existed with the Aztecs into the fourteenth century. The Techichi was not as diminutive as today's Chihuahua; rather, it was sturdier and heavier boned.
Small companion dogs historically have been a luxury of royalty or those of high social standing who could afford to own a dog for companionship only. Working-class people may still have owned dogs as companions; however, their dogs also had to have a worthy skill (such as herding livestock or pulling produce-laden carts) in order to literally earn their keep.
A closer representative of today's Chihuahua may have occurred with the crossing of the Techichi with a much smaller, possibly hairless dog. The hairless dog's origination is under debate. Some historians feel that it came from Asia and crossed the land bridge (now the Bering Strait) into North America. Others point out that records and artifacts show small, hairless dogs that were sacrificed along with the Techichi by the Toltecs.
Are Chihuahuas part fox?
The Chihuahua does have an uncanny resemblance to a tiny desert animal — Fennecus zerda, or the Fennec fox. Luminous eyes, large erect ears, small feet, and a preference for living in packs of ten to twelve, the Fennec fox shares many characteristics of the Chihuahua. In 1980, the Fennec fox was successfully bred to Chihuahuas — an interspecies cross previously thought impossible.
Another opinion is that the Techichi was crossed not with a hairless dog but rather with a small shorthaired dog. Small dogs such as these were evident in many Indian tribes, including those that lived in the Southwest United States, Mexico, and Central and South America. The Maltese may also have been involved. The most compelling evidence of this is the molera, a soft spot or cranial gap in the skull that does not close entirely as the dogs mature. This physical trait is shared by the Maltese and the Chihuahua, indicating a common ancestor.
