The Chile Chronicles is a colorful visual and cultural tour through the fields, homes, and markets of New Mexico, exploring the lives and livelihoods that depend on this famous food. It documents twelve farms and farm families and the trials and triumphs of those who both depend upon and preserve this unique way of life. Just as the grape is central to the Napa and Loire Valleys, the chile is inseparable from the landscape of New Mexico. Long chile ristras, the smell of roasting chile, lush irrigated fields dotted with red, spicy hot posole, and green chile stew continue to attract newcomers and sustain a four-century tradition that is still going strong. New Mexico chile is enjoyed and savored nationally. It is a $300-million industry that involves science, economics, and enterprise. It is this fascinating tension between culture and commerce, history and progress that nurtures the chile phenomenon. With over 175 color photographs, The Chile Chronicles takes the reader on a splendid tour along the Rio Grande Valley, from the vast pepper fields of the south to the boutique chile farms of the north, all the while tying the present chile boom to the traditions that root it to New Mexico's past.
