# Techichi - **Group:** Companion & Toy (FCI group 9) - **Size:** Small - **Origin:** Mexico - **Temperament:** Quiet, Companionable, Sacred - **Status:** Extinct The Techichi was a small, reportedly mute dog bred by the Toltecs, thought to be the larger ancestor of the Chihuahua and long gone by the 19th century. ## Overview The Techichi was a small dog bred in Mexico by the Toltec culture around the 9th century. It is considered an ancestor of the modern Chihuahua, though somewhat larger. The breed has been extinct since the 19th century, but it survives in pre-Columbian art and in the story of its descendant. ## History The Toltecs bred the Techichi, and the Aztecs later reduced it into the smaller dog we now call the Chihuahua. The Spanish explorer Francisco Hernandez reported the dogs in 1578, noting that native people ate them as often as rabbits. The Spanish ate many of them on expeditions, and by the 19th century the original breed had vanished. Outsiders only took notice of its descendants in the mid-1800s, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. ## Appearance Techichis varied in looks. Coats ranged from brown through brown and white and black and white to solid black. They were larger than modern Chihuahuas. Ears were sometimes cropped close to the head, while tails were left natural. ## Temperament The Techichi was said to be mute and unable to bark. Cultures that kept them saw them as spiritual guides with supernatural gifts, which suggests a close bond with people. ## Care and exercise No care guidance survives for the breed. They were kept as companions, sacrificial animals and food, with chosen stud males and brood females used to produce many litters. ## Ratings (1 to 5) - Energy: 2 - Exercise needs: 2 - Grooming: 1 - Shedding: 2 - Trainability: 3 - Barking: 1 - Good with children: 3 - Good with other dogs: 3 Page: https://techtools.cz/tools/dog-atlas/techichi Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techichi ยท https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9356247 Photo: Anonymous (Colima)Unknown author Thank you to the Walter Art Museum. (Public domain), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colima_-_Dog_Effigy_-_Walters_20092051_-_Three_Quarter_Left.jpg Profile written by an AI model from the sources above.