It's unknown which breeds the Maya domesticated, but historians believe it included the Techichi and the Xoloitzcuintli (Xolo) at the very least. The Maya even had nine different words for dog in their language, some of which referred to specific varieties. They would often sacrifice, mummify and bury dogs alongside their respective owners, believing their canine companions would join them in the afterlife. The Maya - not 'Mayan' as some describe this civilization - viewed dogs as being guardians of the afterlife, using them in burial ceremonies and as a source of food. Maya and Toltec Civilizationsįollowing this theory, it's safe to assume either the Maya (1800 BC to 900 AD) or Toltec (900 AD to 1150 AD) were the first to domesticate the Techichi. Unlike the Chihuahua, the Techichi is believed to have been mute with only long coats (the Chihuahua has both short and long coats). With an average weight of 10 to 20 pounds, the Techichi is roughly twice the size of the Chihuahua but shares many of its counterpart's physical characteristics. One of the most plausible theories is that the Chihuahua is a descendant of the Techichi, a small-framed companion dog domesticated by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations and Native North American tribes. It's what happened before this period that continues to spark debates. Historians generally accept the idea that some of the earliest Chihuahuas were discovered in Mexico in the late 1800s. Of course, only one of these names withstood the hands of time, with the breed now being universally recognized as the Chihuahua.

This resulted in the modern-day Chihuahua being called the Arizona dog, Texas dog, Mexico dog, and the Chihuahua dog. Rather, people named it after the region in which it was seen. Back then, the dog didn't have an official name. In 1884, Mexican merchants began selling the small dog to border tourists, many of whom brought them back to the U.S. It was here where dog fanciers are believed to have discovered some of the earliest Chihuahua specimens in the mid-1800s. Spanning95,544 mi² (247,460km 2) and bordering Texas and New Mexico to the northeast (see map below), Chihuahua is a the largest of Mexico's 32 states. Historians continue to speculate on the Chihuahua's true origins, but most agree that it leads back to the state of Chihuahua Mexico. Where did the Chihuahua originate from? Were they brought over from Europe? Are they descendants of a different breed? Were they bred for a specific purpose like hunting rodents or herding livestock? While there's no definitive answer to these questions, historians have concocted several theories on the Chihuahua's history that we're going to explore. Like many modern-day dog breeds, much of the Chihuahua's history is shrouded in mystery.

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