AboutValerie S Expertise I can answer questions regarding travel around NM, including hotels, restaurants, sights and information about the New Mexico Pueblos. I live in the Albuquerque area and of course know a lot more about this city and environs, but can also answer questions about Santa Fe, Taos, national parks and culture.
Experience I have lived in NM for 19 years and have a deep love for our multi-ethnic culture. I have volunteered for the Albuquerque Convention and Vistor's Bureau. I have been involved in the travel industry for 7 years.
Education/Credentials BA History for University of New Mexico
Expert: Valerie S Date: 11/14/2004 Subject: Chile Peppers
Question My husband bought a necklace (while visiting Albuquerque on business)for our nine year old grand-daughter, made of black onyx and red coral. The red coral is shaped like Chile peppers. We thought she might give a presentation in her school class for "show and tell" with an explanation about the significance of the chile pepper in society in New Mexico, other than being in most of the food! For example, do the pueblos think they have medicinal value, or spiritual value? Are growing chiles a major part of the economy agriculturally? Any information would be greatly apprecited.
Thanks,
Donna Pacen
Answer Hello Donna,
Chile is definitely an important part of our culture here in New Mexico. Today, of course, it is an ingredient in many of our local dishes, and agriculturally it is the largest crop we cultivate here. Most of the chile is grown in the southern part of the state, near Hatch. But long before we started putting it on our cheeseburgers, it was a part of the culture. The Pueblos have used it as a componenet of their diet for over 1000 years. They recognized its healthful benefits and its curative properties which modern medicine only recently came to fully recognize. (Chile has more vitamin C than oranges and it acts as an expectorant so it is the ideal food to consume when you have a cold. The capsaicin in chile is beneficial for arthritis, which is why many commercial muscle or arthritis creams contain that ingredient.) Chile ristras are strung out to dry, and often one ristra is left hanging on the door post after the others have been taken in for the winter. This serves primarily as decoration today, but was used as a symbol of prosperity and hospitality - if you had food spare you were considered rich - or served as a welcoming sign.
