The Churro Sheep of the southwest deserts has been an intregal part of the people of the desert for 400 years. The Spanish as well as the Navajos raised Churros, but it is the story of the Navajo and their special relationship to them that is most interesting.
"Navajos believe the sheep have always been with them as it is portrayed in their creation myths. The physical form of the sheep arrived in the American Southwest with the Spanish Conquistadors in the late 1500s. The Navajo took to them immediately, gathering thousands in their flocks over the centuries, using their wool for warmth, mutton and milk for food. The Churro thrived in the harsh extremes where other domestic sheep would die of cold, wind, heat and starvation. Their fleece, an earthy combination of a coarse, durable, near greaseless outer layer and a lustrous inner layer soft to the touch gave the Navajos wool that was stronger and had more luster than any of the other domestic breeds of sheep."