What happened to the Xoloitzcuintli population following the Spanish Conquest of Mexico?

Their status and population declined sharply due to suppressed religious significance

The arrival of the Spanish Conquest initiated a period of massive cultural upheaval that severely impacted the indigenous populations and, consequently, the animals intrinsically linked to their belief systems, like the Xoloitzcuintli. Because the breed's profound spiritual significance and role in religious rites were antithetical to the conquering culture, the religious mandate that protected the dogs was suppressed. This suppression led directly to a sharp decline in the breed's status and population numbers. For several centuries following the conquest, the Xolo survived only in small, isolated pockets, often kept by rural and indigenous peoples, saving them from total extinction but leading to a drastic reduction in their overall numbers.