Descendants of the Wild Ass from Africa, these pack animals were prized for their hardiness in arid country. In the 1500s, Spaniard first introduced the burro into the Southwest. The word “burro” is derived from the Spanish word “borrico,” meaning donkey. The Burro is a small donkey, often used as a pack animal. They are strong, sure-footed, and able to locate food in barren terrain. When gold was discovered at Gila City in 1858, prospectors soon poured into the area from California and Sonora, Mexico bringing with them these sturdy pack burros. With their ability to carry heavy burdens for days through hot, dry environments, the burro became indispensable to prospectors. The solitary prospector with his trusty burro became a legendary icon of the old west. In 1880, the gold rush era ended and the mining camps were abandoned. Many burros were turned loose and wandered off to fend for themselves in the harsh arid land. Having evolved in the deserts of North Africa, the burro flourished in the southwest. These are the Wild Burros of the Sonoran Desert. This is a digital painting and composite copyrighted by Matthew Schwartz on 7.23.2016. All Spadecaller artwork posted on Imagekind, Facebook, and elsewhere is copyright protected. Permission to copy, appropriate, reclaim, alter, or otherwise distribute, display, or sell is prohibited.