New Mexico chile (or New Mexican chile) is a group of cultivars of the chile pepper, initially developed by pioneer horticulturist, Dr. Fabián Garcia, at New Mexico State University in 1894, then known as Las Cruces College and the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. Selective breeding began with 14 lineages of 'Pasilla', 'Colorado', and 'Negro' cultivars, from across New Mexico and Southern Colorado's old Hispano and Pueblo communities. These peppers were selected to have a "larger smoother, fleshier, more tapering and shoulderless pod for canning purposes." The first cultivar of this group was released in 1913, called 'New Mexico No. 9'. The New Mexico chile peppers are popular in the cuisine of the Southwestern United States and in the broader Mexican cuisine, and an in