Sheep | History

Living History
Navajo-Churro sheep are the direct descendents of the flocks brought to the New World by settlers from Spain in the early 17th century. For more than two hundred years, these sheep were the backbone of territorial New Mexico’s economy, reaching a peak of more than six million animals in the mid 1800’s.
When the railroads came to New Mexico, they opened new commercial marketing possibilities and brought in new breeds of sheep. The Churro as it was then known fell from favor with breeders. Stocks were mixed with other breeds, selected for finer wool, and eventually became lost in the genetic background of the Western Finewools.
Small flocks of pure Churro sheep in remote areas of the Navajo Reservation survived. This was partly because of their isolated locations, but mostly because the Navajo had made these little sheep and their unusual double coated fleece the foundation of their weaving tradition. Today they can also be found in small farm flocks around the West, and number less than 3000 animals.