The legacy of New Mexico’s chile industry

Michael Swickard, special to the Organ Mountain News

When visitors come to New Mexico, one topic of discussion is our delicious chile peppers in foods like enchiladas. Our chile is a treat as long as, to the visitor, it is not too hot. It is always uniquely flavorful. That is chile with an e, not chili with an i, chilly in winter nor the country of Chile five thousand miles to the south.

The very robust New Mexico chile industry did not happen by accident. It took many decades of work to take the original chile that has grown in Southern New Mexico for centuries and, through research, develop it into today’s chile. More than a hundred years ago, three things happened to enable today’s chile peppers.

Without these three things happening, we would not be shipping New Mexico chile all over the world while we also enjoy the outstanding flavors. More than a hundred years ago, New Mexico already had the right climate with hot summer days and cool summer nights — along with a dry humidity. Back then, chile peppers were only grown in gardens but a change came.

What was needed back then in Southern New Mexico was constant chile pepper plant research, an abundance of low-cost water and dependable transportation to bring the chile pepper crops to market.

As I enjoy local chile, I think of agricultural researcher Fabián García who, in 1913, listened to the complaints that Las Cruces chile was too hot for visitors to enjoy. The researchers made New Mexico Number 9, which was not as hot but still flavorful. Importantly, it grew straighter for putting in cans to ship. At that same time, Elephant Butte Dam was constructed, which provided enough water for large-scale commercial crops. The railroad was put through our area so crops could quickly be sent all over the United States. Later, paved roads made it even better.

Fabián García was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1871, and orphaned at age two. His paternal grandmother brought him to New Mexico, which was then a U. S. Territory. He ended up in the Mesilla Valley in 1885, when his grandmother was employed by the Thomas Casad family. The Casad Orchard at that time was a large fruit orchard, and being around it as he grew up working in the orchard gave young Fabián lots of work to do but, more importantly, provided an inspiration as to what he wanted to do with his life.

At age 18, Fabián became a naturalized U.S. Citizen and, in fact, was in the first graduating class of New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1894 which, in 1960, changed its name to New Mexico State University. Agriculture and Scientific Research were his passions so, after graduation, he attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he received a Master of Science degree specializing in Horticulture. In 1906 he returned to the Mesilla Valley and became a Professor of Horticulture, which he remained until his retirement in 1945.

In 1913, in addition to his duties as a Professor of Horticulture, he became the Director of the State Agricultural Experiment Station, which allowed him the research ability for which he is remembered today. It was a special synchronicity that brought him and his leadership in scientific horticulture research to Southern New Mexico, just as the Rio Grande Project produced Elephant Butte Reservoir so farmers of this area had abundant water for their commercial growing fields along with the building of the railroads so produce could be shipped all over the United States. The agricultural potential of Southern New Mexico was realized by the three realms coming together.

Fabián García and his research team made chile pepper plants commercially viable. Also, pecans, onions, alfalfa and cotton. The Fabián García Agricultural Research Center continues this research and is just west of New Mexico State University's main campus. It also houses the Chile Pepper Institute, which is essential every year for the New Mexico chile industry.

He was a kind, gentle scientist who inspired generations of Horticultural Scientists who spread all over the world. At the time of his death in 1948, he left most of his estate of what would be $1.1 million in today's dollars to build a dormitory, Garcia Hall, for financially challenged students attending NMSU.

Over the years, the partnership between the plant researchers and the commercial farmers to produce crops effectively and efficiently every year is interesting. It is why southern New Mexico is so agriculturally-centered. Over more than a hundred years, many agricultural products have been constantly improved for shape, flavor, pest resistance, growing season length and myriad other details that we rarely think of as we enjoy chile, pecans, onions and many other harvests produced in southern New Mexico.

Of course, the benefits are not just in southern New Mexico. Much of the agricultural research that was started and sustained by Fabián García and those who followed him has spread to most of the world.

None of these improvements in the products and efficiencies of the crops happened by accident. It is what an Agricultural Research Facility does. The researchers at the State Agricultural Experiment Station in 1913 dove into the research because farmers in the Mesilla Valley, Hatch Valley and northward appeared to put too much water on their crops. For once, there was plenty of water available to water fields of crops, but it quickly became apparent that watering fields was scientific. Farmers must use just the right amount of irrigation water. Too little or too much harmed the commercial crops and the research into this was a testament to Fabián García’s leadership.

There is a Fabián García Research Center near the intersection of South Main and University Avenue in Las Cruces. The Research Center houses the Teaching and Research gardens of the Chile Pepper Institute. Among many others at the Research Center is a viticulture program that has many grape varieties to support wine production in the area.

When you enjoy a great New Mexico meal with locally produced chile peppers, think of Fabián García, and the tens of thousands of researchers over the years who keep New Mexico chile and other crops robust and viable. When we have outstandingly delicious New Mexico chile, it is a testament to their work. With every delicious bite of chile, I say thanks so much.

Michael Swickard is a former radio talk show host and has been a columnist for more than 30 years in a number of New Mexico newspapers. Swickard’s latest novel, The Chupadera Darkness, is available at Amazon.com. Agree with his opinion? Disagree? We welcome your views. Feel free to send your own commentary to OrganMountainNews@gmail.com.