The Techichi is an
extinct
Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
breed of small dog bred by the
Toltec
The Toltec culture () was a Pre-Columbian era, pre-Columbian Mesoamerican culture that ruled a state centered in Tula (Mesoamerican site), Tula, Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, Mexico, during the Epiclassic and the early Post-Classic period of Mesoam ...
culture in the 9th century C.E. It is thought to be an ancestor of the modern
Chihuahua.
Description
Techichis varied in appearance, with their coats ranging from brown, brown and white, black and white, to black. Their ears were sometimes
cropped close to the head, but their tails were left uncut in their natural state.
Techichis were mute and could not
bark
Bark may refer to:
Common meanings
* Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick
* Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog)
Arts and entertainment
* ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...
.
History
Techichis were larger than modern Chihuahuas, but were bred into the smaller, lighter dog known today by the
Aztecs
The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the ...
.
The first European to encounter the dog breed was the Spanish explorer
Francisco Hernandez, who reported its existence in 1578. He wrote that the native people ate them as commonly as they ate rabbits. The Spanish, who were often short of food, ate them on their expeditions as well. It is estimated that Spanish explorers ate as many as 100,000 Techichis, and by the 19th century they had disappeared altogether.
It wasn't until the mid-1800s that people outside of Mexico took interest in the breed, finding many of its modern descendants in the Mexican state of
Chihuahua, from which the modern breed derives its name.
In human culture
To the Toltecs, Techichis were believed to have supernatural powers, such as seeing into the future, and they were often sacrificed so they could guide their owners in the afterlife. Like the Toltecs, the Aztecs also believed that Techichis could guide human souls after death, and that they could guard pyramids if buried underneath them. Several
pre-Columbian
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...
artefacts have been discovered depicting the dogs, including wheeled toys and
effigy
An effigy is a sculptural representation, often life-size, of a specific person or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certain ...
pots.
They were eaten as food by people, and certain
stud
Stud may refer to:
Animals
* Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding
** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred
Arts and entertainment
* Stud (band), a British progressive rock group
* The Stud (bar), a gay bar in San Francisco
* ...
males and brood females were kept to produce as many litters as possible.
See also
*
Dog meat
Dog meat, also known as fragrant meat or simply fragrant, is the meat derived from dogs. Historically human consumption of dog meat has been recorded in many parts of the world.
In the 21st century, dog meat is consumed to a limited extent in ...
*
Dogs in Mesoamerica
*
List of extinct dog breeds
The following is a list of extinct
Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capa ...
*
Native American dogs
References
{{Extinct dog varieties
Dog breeds originating in Mexico
Dog breeds originating from Indigenous Americans
Extinct dog breeds
Dog as food