Chile Pepper King:

Fabián García and the
Botany of the Borderlands

Chile Pepper King tells the story of Fabián García (1872-1948), a botanist who not only launched the New Mexico chile pepper industry but also greatly introduced new plants and crops that transformed the physical landscape of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands—from Florida to Baja California.

From humble origins as an orphan in Chihuahua, Mexico to one of the leading horticulturalists of his generation, García’s story has far too long overlooked in the historical record. At its heart lies a story of science, race, and overcoming great adversity.

Whether we enjoy the tastes of a Hatch chile relleno today or the shade of a nonnative shrubs and trees is the New Mexican desert, García’s legacy is all around us.