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Navajo-Churro sheep are descended from Churra (scrub) sheep, an ancient Iberian breed, brought to the North America by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century as a source of food and clothing for their armies. By the 17th century Churros were popular with the Spanish settlers in the upper Rio Grande Valley. Flocks of Churros were also acquired by Native Americans through raids and trading, and soon became an important part of the Navajo economy and culture.

A series of US Government sponsored flock reductions and "improvements" (by cross breeding) during the 19th and early 20th centuries, decimated the Navajo flocks until the old type Churro sheep nearly disappeared.  In the 1970's several individuals began acquiring Churro phenotypes with the purpose of preserving the breed and revitalizing Navajo and Hispanic flocks.  The Navajo-Churro Sheep Association (N-CSA) was formed in 1986 to preserve and promote this original American Breed. The name "Navajo-Churro" was chosen to honor both their Navajo and their Spanish heritage. While more than 2,500 sheep have been registered since the N-CSA was formed, Navajo-Churro sheep are still considered a rare breed by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC). Navajo-Churro sheep carry the polycerate gene which allows them to produce multiple horns, and both rams and ewes can be horned or polled. They are a small to medium size breed with ewes weighing form 85 to 120 pounds and rams ranging from 120 to 175 lbs. Navajo-Churro wool comes in a wide range of natural colors, is classified as coarse and is composed of three distinct types of fiber: 1) Inner Coat (3-5" staple length): wool fibers ranging from 10-35 microns, comprising 80% of the fleece, 2) Outer Coat (6-12"staple length): hair fibers measuring 35+ microns, comprising 10-20% of the fleece, 3) Kemp: short opaque fibers of 65+ microns, not to exceed 5% of the fleece). The fleece is open with no defined crimp and should be lustrous with a silky hand. It is high yielding with a low grease content.