Tijuana’s most recognizable street attraction now carries official cultural protection. The city council voted unanimously on June 18 to declare the painted donkeys known as “zonkeys” part of Tijuana’s cultural heritage, a designation that comes 32 years after the tradition first appeared on Avenida Revolución in 1993.
From Tourist Curiosity to Tijuana Symbol Since 1993
The zonkey tradition began when photographer Adolfo López Valenzuela started painting white stripes on a donkey to make it show up better in black-and-white tourist photos. The year was 1993, and the spot was Avenida Revolución, Tijuana’s main tourist corridor. The gimmick worked. Visitors lined up to pose with what appeared to be a small zebra, and other photographers soon copied the idea.
Over three decades, the painted burros became one of Tijuana’s most photographed attractions. They appeared on postcards, in travel guides, and across social media. But the tradition also faced steady criticism from animal welfare groups who questioned the living conditions and treatment of the animals. At one point, the number of working zonkeys along Revolución reportedly reached as many as a dozen. Today, fewer remain active.
The new designation, proposed by council member Ismael Burgueño Ruiz of the ruling Morena party, passed with support from all parties present. Burgueño called the zonkeys a “living symbol” of Tijuana’s identity. The council session took place at the Palacio Municipal on June 18, and the measure passed without a single opposing vote.
Tijuana has used cultural heritage designations before to protect local traditions. In 2014, the city declared the Caesar salad part of its culinary heritage, honoring a dish created at the Caesar’s Hotel on Revolución in 1924. The zonkey designation follows a similar logic: protect a tradition by giving it formal civic recognition.
What the Designation Does and Does Not Cover
A municipal cultural heritage declaration in Baja California is primarily symbolic. It does not come with dedicated funding, a conservation plan, or binding regulations on animal care. What it does is create an official civic record that the tradition holds cultural value. That record can then be cited in future policy decisions about permits, public space use on Revolución, and potential animal welfare regulations.
The distinction matters because the zonkeys operate in a gray area. The photographers who own them work as informal vendors on public sidewalks. They charge tourists roughly 50 to 100 pesos (about $3 to $6 USD) per photo. The animals need veterinary care, food, and shelter, costs that fall entirely on their owners. Without formal recognition, the city could have eventually regulated the donkeys off the street as an unlicensed commercial activity. The heritage tag makes that harder to do.
Animal rights organizations in Tijuana have pushed back on the practice for years. Groups have argued that keeping donkeys on hot pavement for hours, painting their fur, and exposing them to loud street noise causes unnecessary stress. The new designation does not address these concerns directly, though Burgueño told local media the council would consider companion regulations on animal welfare standards for the working donkeys.
The timing also coincides with Tijuana’s broader push to revitalize Avenida Revolución as a cultural destination. City and state officials have discussed pedestrian improvements, new lighting, and cultural programming along the strip. The zonkey designation fits into that effort by formally anchoring one of the avenue’s best-known attractions.
Revolución’s Tourism Economy Depends on Familiar Draws
Avenida Revolución runs roughly 12 blocks through Tijuana’s Zona Centro. It has served as the city’s primary tourist corridor since Prohibition-era Americans crossed the border seeking bars and entertainment in the 1920s. Today the avenue hosts a mix of restaurants, bars, pharmacies, curio shops, and cultural spaces like the Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT), which sits a few blocks east.
The street draws thousands of day-trippers each week from San Diego, just 20 miles north. Many cross on foot through the PedWest or San Ysidro pedestrian gates. For first-time visitors, the zonkey photo remains a common rite of passage, a quick, cheap souvenir that doubles as proof they crossed into Mexico.
The council’s next regular session is scheduled for early July. Burgueño indicated that a working group on animal welfare protocols for the zonkeys could begin meeting before August. The story was first reported by El Imparcial on June 18.