The Official State Question of New Mexico

The Official State Question of New Mexico: “Red or Green?”

Red and green chiles - Photo by jonboy mitchell

“Red or Green?” was adopted as New Mexico’s official state ques-
tion in 1999. No, they’re not asking you which Christmas color is your favorite, they want to know whether you would like red chiles or green chiles. Chiles are green while they are growing. If you leave them on the vine longer, they turn red and get much hotter. The question is asked so many times in New Mexico, that they actually immortalized it by making it the official state question.

The chile is also an extremely important agricultural product in New Mexico. According to the New Mexico Secretary of State:

New Mexico produced 99,000 tons of chile in 2000, valued at nearly 49 million dollars, the number one cash crop in terms of sales in the state. With the adoption of this state question, New Mexico is acknowledging the financial gain and national recognition that chile generates for the state.

In 1996 the 42nd New Mexico State Legislature passed a Joint House Memorial* declaring “Red or Green?” the official state question.
* A joint memorial is an expression of legislative desire passed by both houses that is usually addressed to another governmental body in the form of a petition or declaration of intent.

HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 3
42ND LEGISLATURE – STATE OF NEW MEXICO – FIRST SPECIAL SESSION, 1996, Introduced by Raymond G. Sanchez
A JOINT MEMORIAL REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR AND THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO ISSUE AND PROCLAIM THAT THE QUESTION OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO BE “RED OR GREEN?”.

WHEREAS, the forty-second legislature by near unanimous action adopted House Bill 716, which proposed an official state question of “Red or Green?”; and WHEREAS, it is of significant financial gain and national and international recognition to the state of New Mexico to make the official question asked in our state “Red or Green?”; and WHEREAS, New Mexico is recognized as the state of “firsts” and would be the only state to adopt an official state question; and WHEREAS, tourists are attracted to New Mexico because of its rich cultural heritage and enchantment and quickly learn the importance of the question “Red or Green?”; and WHEREAS, all New Mexicans recognize the importance of chile to our culture and rich heritage and understand that all New Mexicans prefer either Red or Green; WHEREAS, New Mexico is the only state in the union in which the question is asked, and New Mexico, therefore, would move to the forefront in being recognized as the only state that takes its choice of Red or Green chile seriously; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the governor and the secretary of state be requested to issue and proclaim that the official question of the state of New Mexico be “Red or Green?”. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be sent to the governor and secretary of state.

Source: New Mexico State Legislature