<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) </Td> </Tr> <P> The Chihuahua / tʃ ɪˈwɑːwɑː / (listen) (Spanish: chihuahueño) is the smallest breed of dog and is named after the state of Chihuahua in Mexico . Chihuahuas come in a wide variety of colors, and two coat lengths . </P> <P> The Chihuahua's history is convoluted, and there are many theories surrounding the origin of the breed . Both folklore and archaeological finds show that the breed has origins in Mexico . The most common theory is that Chihuahuas are descended from the Techichi, a companion dog favored by the Toltec civilization in Mexico . No records of the Techichi are available before the 9th century, although dog pots from Colima, Mexico, buried as part of the western Mexico shaft tomb tradition which date back to 300 BC are thought to depict Techichis . It is probable that earlier ancestors were present before the Mayas as dogs approximating the Chihuahua are found in materials from the Great Pyramid of Cholula, predating 1530 and in the ruins of Chichen Itza on the Yucatán Peninsula . However, genetic evidence reveals very little pre-European genetics in modern chihuahuas (<2%), suggesting that interbreeding with European dogs has left little original of the original American lineage (while possibly retaining a similar form). </P> <P> Wheeled dog toys representing the Chihuahua have been unearthed across Mesoamerica from Mexico to El Salvador . The earliest of these were found at Tres Zapotes in Veracruz, Mexico, which date to 100 AD, indirect evidence that a Chihuahua - like breed was in Mexico over 1400 years before the first Europeans arrived . </P>

The chihuahua is a breed of dog believed to originate from what country