Navajo rugs, blankets and weavings
from sheep to rugs - Navajo sheep

In order to know what type of sheep the Navajo first acquired, we must go to Spain. The sheep brought by the Spanish to the New World were almost certainly churros, not merinos, although the churros probably had a great deal of merino blood. The churros were perfectly suited to sparse, lowland country and the climate of the southwest, which was similar to that of Spain. Their rather fine, long stapled wool was also well suited to the Navajo hand spindle.

Navajo-Churro sheep are descended from the Churra, an ancient Iberian breed. Although secondary to the Merino, the Churra, later corrupted to 'Churro' by American frontiersmen, was prized by the Spanish for its remarkable hardiness, adaptability and fruitfulness. The Churra was the very first breed of domesticated sheep in the New World. Its importation to New Spain by the Spanish dates back to the 16th century where it was used to feed and clothe the armies of the conquistadors and Spanish settlers.

By the 17th century the Churro had become the mainstay of Spanish ranches and villages along the upper Rio Grande Valley. Native Indians acquired flocks of Churro for food and fiber through raids and trading. Within a century, herding and weaving had become a major economic asset for the Navajo. It was from Churro wool that the early Rio Grande, Pueblo, and Navajo textiles were woven, a fleece admired by collectors for its luster, silky hand, variety of natural color and durability.

As early as 1789, the Spanish controlled the export of ewes from the provinces of New Mexico to maintain breeding stock. But in the 1850's thousands of Churro were trailed west to supply the California Gold Rush. Most of the remaining Churro of the Hispanic ranches were crossed with fine wool rams to supply the demand of garment wool caused by the increased population and the Civil War. Concurrently, in 1863, the U.S. Army decimated the Navajo flocks in retribution for continued Indian depredations. In the 1900's further improvements and stock reductions were imposed by U.S. agencies upon the Navajo flocks. True Churro survivors were to be found only in isolated villages in Northern New Mexico and in remote canyons of the Navajo Indian Reservation.

Navajo-Churro sheep to Navajo rugs - page 2

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