While the popularity of modern New Mexico chiles is without a doubt tied to Spanish colonization of the area, the real credit for its survival as a vital crop in the state can be traced to Native American populations that adopted them into their own agricultural and culinary repertoires. For the 300 years after Onate’s introduction of chiles to New Mexico, other than with the Native Americans, they were barely recognized in the regional cuisine. Today chiles are coveted as New Mexico gold.