HISTORY

Theory has it that the breed was a prized possession of the Aztecs & Toltecs, often being used as sacrifices buried with their owners to help guide them through the underworld. 

It is often presumed that the Techichi, a hairless and fattened breed presumably used for eating purposes, is the ancestor of the Chihuahua. However, whilst visiting Mexico, Hilary Harmar found that these dogs also existed with hair ; leading her to the conclusion that they were most likely ancestors of the Xolo instead.  
 
When the Conquistadors destroyed the pyramids of Cholula depictions of dogs being described as 'very small, short faced, with erect ears and not hairless' were discovered on the stones. This, alongside old pottery models in the Mexican National Museum depicting small dogs, lead us to the conclusion that a small companion breed was also around at this time. This is most likely the closest ancestor of the breed rather than the Techichi. With the age of these works we can presume that these dogs were the companions of the Indigenous people of Mexico long before the invasion.
 
Further down the line the breed caught the eye of North Americans travelling across the border, with individuals such as James Watson purchasing such dogs to return home with him in the late 19th century. The first Chihuahua was registered in the United States in 1904 and the two varieties were divided in 1952 by the AKC. Here in the UK the breed first appeared in the Our Dogs newspaper in 1904 and Mrs Dora Wells’ dogs became the first to be registered in Britain during the early 1900s. Subsequently the British Chihuahua Club was established by Mrs Marjorie Fearfield in 1949, with the first dog of the Long Coat variety arriving in 1955.