Sheep and Wool
The breed of sheep brought by the Spanish to New Mexico is called Navaho-Churro or churro. It is a hardy breed, well suited to the extremes of local climate and terrain. It is common for churro to bear twins, certainly advantageous from the point of view of hungry sheep owners. And its wool is not as greasy as most breeds, requiring less precious water and shorter preparation time for the spinner. Churro wool has a luster that, in old pieces, has an almost silky look. Its fleece also has what is commonly described as a "double coat". Similar to a cat's, there is a thick lower layer of fine wool, with longer, coarser, fibers interspersed forming a sort of shaggy-looking outer layer.
Most of the wool spun by the weavers associated with Centinela is churro. Some of these weavers are working with Rancho de Los Golondrinas, a living history museum in La Cienega, New Mexico, where there are a number of churro sheep. Irvin Trujillo's sister, Pat Trujillo Oviedo, raises churro sheep here at La Centinela, and we have been diligently scouring those fleeces in hopes of one day spinning it all. And we would like to thank Connie Taylor of Cerro Mojino, who has supplied us with the cleanest, most beautiful, and most authentically churro wool for years.
