Working To Save The Painted 'Zonkeys' Of Tijuana
Ruben prances across the street one recent morning on his way to work on a corner of Tijuana's famous tourist strip, Avenida Revolucin.
Ruben's hair is freshly dyed. His nametag is shiny.
But both he and his boss, Victor Reyes, have long faces.
Ruben, well, he's a donkey, (a "zonkey" in local parlance).
As for Reyes, his business — taking photos of tourists atop Ruben — has stumbled on hard times.
'Old Mexico'
Back in the 1960s, Reyes says, the American tourists coming into this westernmost Mexican city, just south of San Diego across the California border, lined up for the chance to have a picture taken atop one of the donkeys painted to look like zebras.
Tijuana had been a tourist destination for a century, says Jose Beltrn, a professor of history at the Autonomous University of Baja California. Beltran says the American tourists would drink, gamble, visit prostitutes, and look for "old Mexico." The donkeys filled that bill.
Photographers trotted them out as a representation of old times, throwing serapes over the shoulders of Americans dressed in long dresses and heavy suits. They'd stand next to the donkey or climb on top.
The only problem was the white donkeys didn't show up well in black and white photos. Just a little ear and nose.
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