The Warren Court

From ancient cultivation to modern cuisine, the chile’s journey spans thousands of years.

Ancient History (7500 BCE – 1400 CE)

~7500 BCE — Archaeological evidence suggests domestication of chiles begins in Mexico, making them one of the oldest cultivated crops in the Americas.

~3000 BCE — Chiles become integrated into Mesoamerican agriculture alongside maize, beans, and squash.

~1400 CE — By the height of the Aztec Empire, chiles are essential to cuisine, medicine, and trade. Multiple varieties are cultivated for different purposes.

Colonial Era (1492 – 1800)

1492 — Columbus encounters chiles in the Caribbean and mistakenly calls them “peppers,” confusing them with black pepper.

1493 — Chiles arrive in Spain, beginning their global spread.

1598 — Spanish colonists bring cultivated chile varieties to New Mexico along the Camino Real.

1600s–1700s — Chiles spread through Africa, Asia, and Europe, transforming cuisines worldwide.

Modern Era (1800 – Present)

1912 — Wilbur Scoville develops the Scoville Scale to measure chile heat.

1912 — New Mexico becomes a state; chile culture becomes a marker of regional identity.

1970s–1980s — The Hatch Chile Festival begins, cementing New Mexico’s reputation as the chile capital of America.

2000s — Heirloom chile preservation movements gain momentum as industrial agriculture threatens genetic diversity.

Present — Climate change challenges traditional growing regions while new varieties and cultivation techniques continue to evolve.

The story of the chile is still being written.