Xoloitzcuintle

The Xoloitzcuintle (or Xoloitzquintle, Xoloitzcuintli, or Xolo) is one of several breeds of hairless dog. It is found in standard, intermediate, and miniature sizes. The Xolo has both hairless and coated types, with the latter fully furred. Coated and hairless can be born in the same litter as a result of the same combination of genes. The hairless variant is known as the ' or Mexican hairless dog'. It is characterized by its wrinkles and dental abnormalities. In Nahuatl, from which its name originates, it is xōlōitzcuintli (singular) and xōlōitzcuintin (plural). The name comes from the Aztec god of fire and lightning Xolotl that, according to ancient narratives, is its creator and itzcuīntli , meaning 'dog' in the Nahuatl language.

==History== thumb|Colima dog thumb|upright|A Toy Xoloitzcuintle thumb|Giorgio Armani, the first Xoloitzcuintle to be named best of its breed at the Westminster Dog Show. He has achieved four Bests in Show and 27 Group Firsts since joining the American Kennel Club's Non-Sporting Group in January 2011. thumb|Hairless and coated Xoloitzquintin thumb|A newborn Xoloitzcuintle thumb|Artist Diego Rivera with a Xoloitzcuintle at the Casa Azul Ceramic sculptures of a hairless breed of dog have been found in burial sites in ancient West Mexico. In ancient times, dogs that looked like present-day Xolos were often sacrificed and then buried with their owners to act as guides to the soul on its journey to the underworld. They have been found in burial sites of both the Maya and the Toltec.