"Alma Duce," a 2.5-year-old Xoloitzcuintli - 2012 photo by Dave Baker / Pets Adviser
The Xoloitzcuintli, also known as the “Xolo” and sometimes spelled Xoloitzcuintle (be sure to see our Xolo breed profile), is a Mexican hairless dog that might seem rather strange-looking at first glance. Especially when it has a little bit of hair atop its head so that it looks a bit like one of those Gremlins.
This breed of hairless dog [Related: Chinese crested info], a close relative of Mexico, is friendly, outgoing and obedient. The dog breed was declared a Peruvian national heritage and is recognized as originating from there. As in Mexico, the Xoloitzcuintli is related to Hispanic history and looked to by Peruvians as an icon of their culture. These pups are expensive and to have one in Peru or Mexico is a symbol of social status.
By the way, the correct way to pronounce it is: “show-low-its-queen-tlee.”
Click each photo to enlarge it. Please enjoy the gallery:
Xoloitzcuintli Photos – Mexican Hairless Dogs
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- Here is a litter of Xoloitzcuintli puppies. Look at all those wrinkles! Photo: Xugardust/Flickr
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- A xolo in your lap. Photo by yuki cat/Flickr
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- Xolo on the couch. Photo by Guanatos Gwyn/Flickr
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- Xoloitzcuintli puppy! Photo by ccho/Flickr
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- Xoloitzcuintli, backstage at the Westminster Dog Show, 2012. Photo by Sarah Blakemore/Pets Adviser
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- Xoloitzcuintli “Armani,” from the 2012 Westminster Dog Show. Photo by Dave Baker / Pets Adviser
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- This odd looking dog, a Xoloitzcuintli, is striped like a zebra! Mexican hairless dog photo by xolita/Flickr.com
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- A hairless dog looks at people as they pass by a museum at Chan Chan, Peru, in 2008. Photo by Carlos Adampol/Flickr
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- This Xoloitzcuintli hairless dog was apparently painted with white grease paint for an All Souls parade in Tucson, Arizona, in 2007. Photo by peppergrasss/Flickr.
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- Xolo Mexican hairless, photographed in a small zoo in Guadalajara, Mexico. Photo by anaroza/Flickr
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- The only xoloitzcuintle (traditional breed of Mexican hairless dogs revered by the Aztecs) the photographer has seen in Mexico. Photo by Palo & Mikel/Flickr.
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- This is Canek, photographed in 2007. Are these Mexican hairlesses cute or what? Photo by Micyaotli/Flickr
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- This Mexican hairless dog was spotted at the 2010 AKC “Meet the Breeds” show in October. The Xoloitzcuintli (good luck pronouncing it!) is a strange breed, indeed. Photo by ccho/Flickr
Recommended Reading
Interested in learning more about showing or breeding of these hairless dog breeds? We recommend buying Hairless Dogs: The Naked Truth, a the definitive guide to Xolos. It covers numerous myths and legends surrounding the Xoloitzcuintli, even providing plentiful archaeological evidence and historical photos that trace the dog’s history from ancient times to the modern times.
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