Inside Quetzalcoatl’s duality (representing life and light) he has a twin, Xolotl (representing death and darkness). This last being joins the sun during twilight and has fought battles against demons at Mictlán. From a splinter of the bone of life Xolotl gave a very special gift to humans, the Xoloitzcuintle. A sacred and mystical being that guides its master's soul to Mictlan (underworld), able to move between Mictlan and Earth; its essential energy is connected to Xolotl so the souls don’t lose their way or be bothered by the demons.

After the conquest, the Spanish started to eat this sacred animal leading it almost to extinction. Later on, after the Mexican revolution, this sacred animal was retaken as a national symbol. In mid 20th century, it was determined that this breed could vanish but thanks to the extraordinary effort of Mexican and English experts and Mexican artists like Rivera, Tamayo, Kahlo and Anguiano, it was saved from extinction and recover its importance as a national symbol.